't:=>/ 


.«,     .^^-^.   ^SvT^ 


■JV 


PI.  XEvni. 

TRICHOMANES  RADICANS,    Swartz 
Bristle  Fern. 


FERNS  OF  KENTUCKY 


Sixty  full-page  Etchings  and  Six  Wood  Cuts, 
Drawn  by  the  Author, 


ILLUSTRATING 


STRUCTURE,  FERTILIZATION,  CLASSIFICATION 
GENERA,  AND  SPECIES. 


BY  JOHN   WILLIAMSON. 


LOUISVILLE,   KY.: 

Printed  by  John  P.  Morton  &  Co.,  W.  Main  Street. 
1878 


Copyrighted  by  John  Williamson:   1878. 


R.  ROWELL,  ELECTROTYPER,  LOt'ISVILLE. 


PREFACE. 


J  The  want  of  a  popular  hand-book  on  our  native  ferns 
induced  the  author  to  issue  the  present  work.  The  great 
expense  of  getting  up  the  illustrations  no  doubt  prevented 
publishers  from  such  an  undertaking.  The  beautiful  mon- 
ograph of  the  Ferns  of  North  America,  by  Professor  D.  C. 
Eaton,  of  Yale  College,  now  in  course  of  publication,  will, 
when  it  is  completed,  form  a  most  valuable  contribution  to 
Botanical  Science.  The  only  aim  of  the  present  volume, 
however,  is  merely  to  be  a  guide  to  the  amateur  fern- 
gatherer,  a  book  that  can  be  carried  in  the  pocket,  and 
referred  to  at  any  time,  whether  in  the  woods  or  in  the 
study.  Pages  are  left  blank  so  as  to  enable  the  student 
to  make  notes  regarding  the  habitat  and  locality  of  ferns 
and  flowering  plants. 

The  works  of  Riddell,  Short,  Clapp,  and  others  who 
have  gone  over  probably  the  same  ground,  are  scattered 
throughout  the  various  periodicals  published  at  that  time. 
They  are  very  difficult  to  get  at,  and  entirely  out  of  the 
reach  of  the  amateur  botanist.  These  early  workers  made 
no  attempt  to  illustrate,  sometimes  mentioning  the  county 
where  the  specimens  were  found,  seldom  the  exact  locality. 

(iii) 


iv  PREFACE. 

All  their  localities  have  been  credited  as  far  as  could  be 
ascertained  with  accuracy.  In  McMurtrie's  History  of 
Louisville,  he  gives  Scolopendrium  officinarum  (Swartz), 
as  found  near  Louisville,  Ky.     This  is  certainly  doubtful. 

The  present  work  is  not  so  full  in  localities  as  it  ought 
to  be,  and  it  is  the  earnest  desire  of  the  author  that  local 
collectors  should  communicate  with  him  regarding  this 
matter,  noting  carefully  the  time  and  the  place  of  finding 
any  plant  described  in  tliese  jjages — whether  on  the  higher 
ranges;  whether  on  the  de(li\ities,  or  in  the  valleys,  in  the 
damp,  rich  woods,  or  along  the  banks  of  streams;  whether 
on  trees,'  or  overhanging  rocks;  whether  the  rocks  are 
sandstone,  limestone,  or  of  igneous  formation.  Notes 
can  not  be  too  careful  or  minute. 

This  is  merely  a  beginning  of  what  can  be  accomplished 
with  the  aid  of  local  collectors.  We  hope  in  a  little  time 
to  be  able  to  determine  the  locality  and  range  of  every 
species  and  variety  indigenous  to  the  State. 

I  now  take  this  op])ortunity  to  thank  ni)'  liotanical  friends 
for  the  kind  assistance  they  ha\e  given  me  in  this  work — 
Mr.  J.  ('.  Martindale,  of  Camden,  New  Jersey,  Mr.  John 
H.  Redfield,  of  Philadelphia,  Prof.  D.  C.  Eaton,  of  Vale 
College,  Prof.  Coulter,  of  Hanover  College,  Indiana,  I'rof. 
Hussey,  of  Purdue  University,  Lafayette,  Ind.,  Mr.  Chas. 
E.  Faxon,  and  Mr.  G.  E.  Davenport,  of  Boston.  I  am 
especially  indebted  to  Mr.  Davenport  for  his  valuable  hints 
regarding  the  nomenclature  and  for  criticisms  on  the  illus- 
trations. 


PREFACE.  V 

I  am  also  specially  indebted  to  my  friend  Dr.  E.  S. 
Crosier,  of  this  city,  who  has  taken  a  great  interest  in  the 
Avork  since  its  beginning,  for  valuable  assistance  in  the 
preparation  of  the  text.  Most  of  the  descriptions  have 
been  carefully  revised  by  him,  a  courtesy  I  greatly  ap- 
preciate. j_  \v_ 

Louisville,  Kv.,  May  i6,  1878. 


The  Illustrations  are  etched  on  metal  plates,  afterward  trans- 
ferred to  lithographic  stone,  thus  enabling  the  work  to  be  published 
at  a  much  cheaper  price  than  if  the  copies  were  printed  direct  from 
the  plates.  They  were  printed  by  the  Louisville  Lithographic  Com- 
pany, who  are  to  be  thanked  for  the  interest  they  have  taken  in  the 
matter,  in  getting  clear  and  sharp  impressions,  in  every  respect  as 
well  done  as  if  they  had  been  printed  direct. 


CONTENTS. 


Preface,                    3 

Introduction,       .........  7 

Structure,        .         .         .         .         .         .  .         .         .         .11 

Cultivation,        .........  15 

Fertilization,  ..........  18 

Collecting  and  Drying .         .  21 

Classification,          .........  24 

Key  to  the  Genera,             30 

Genera  and  Species,       ....••••  33 

Appendix, 15^ 

Index 152 


(6) 


FERNS   OF   KENTUCKY. 


INTRODUCTION. 


To  the  student  of  Nature  the  order  of  Filices,  or  Ferns, 
is  exceedingly  interesting.  On  account  of  their  grace- 
ful forms  and  curious  organs  of  reproduction,  they  occupy 
a  unique  place  among  the  families  of  the  vegetable  king- 
dom. Their  wide  distribution  renders  them  general  favor- 
ites. It  is  only  within  a  few  years,  however,  that  the  study 
of  ferns  has  become  popular;  but,  to  the  botanist  they 
have  always  been  objects  of  rare  interest.  It  is  difficult 
to  imagine  why  they  should  be  considered  more  attractive 
than  flowering  plants,  unless  it  be  on  account  of  the  great 
profusion  of  their  bright  and  delicately-tinted  green  fronds, 
the  gracefulness  of  their  foliage,  and  their  happy  adapta- 
tion, when  dried,  to  the  purposes  of  winter  decoration. 

Who  would  think  now  of  going  to  the  country  to  spend  a 
few  days,  or  even  one  day,  without  first  inquiring  whether 
ferns  are  to  be  found  in  the  locality?  If  the  answer  is  in 
the  affirmative,  the  party  is  soon  formed.  All  the  appli- 
ances for  collecting  and  preserving  the  specimens  are  pro- 
cured; and,  on  arriving  at  the  journey's  end,  what  a  bustle 
there  is  to  get  down  to  the  ravine,  under  the  dripping 
rocks,  where  grow  the  delicate  and  almost  transparent 
Trichomanes  and  feathery  Lady  Fern! 

(7) 


8  FERNS    OF    KENTUCKY. 

f^rns  are  numerous  everywhere  in  Kentucky.  It  is  a 
well-known  foct  that  every  wild  flower  has  its  special  habi- 
tat. Some  are  found  on  the  highest  knobs,  some  in  the 
valleys,  and  others  along  the  banks  of  streams.  Calcare- 
ous cliffs  are  preferred  by  some  species,  while  others  grow 
more  luxuriantly  where  sandstone  is  the  prevaihng  forma- 
tion. Ferns  have  a  similar  distribution.  There  are  a  few', 
however,  which  are  widely  diffused,  and  seem  to  be  con- 
tent with  any  situation.  The  Maiden-hair  Fern  [Adiantiim 
pedatum)  is  one  of  the  commonest  as  well  as  the  loveliest 
of  the  fern  tribe.  What  could  be  more  charming,  on  a 
summer  morning,  than  the  sight  of  a  patch  of  the  Maiden- 
hair Fern  with  its  stems  of  polished  jet,  and  its  delicate 
foliage  sparkling  with  dew-drops? 

The  geographical  position  of  Kentucky,  as  well  as  its 
peculiar  topography,  traversed  by  sub-mountainous  chains, 
serves  to  make  it  a  Jiplendid  field  for  the  fern -collector. 
About  forty  species  are  described  as  indigenous  to  the 
State.  It  is  possible  that  if  a  careful  search  were  made  a 
few  others  could  be  added  to  the  list.  The  region  along 
the  Rockcastle  River  and  its  tributaries  furnishes  a  great 
number  of  species,  esjjecially  the  rarer  forms  i)eculiar  to 
certain  geological  formations.  The  Asplenium  Bradleyi 
and  Trichomanes  radicans  are  both  exceedingly  rare,  and 
are  indigenous  to  Kentucky.  They  are  not  reported  as 
found  elsewhere  in  the  United  States,  except  in  Alabama 
and  Tennessee;  but  I  have  no  doubt  that  they  will  be  dis- 
covered in  other  localities.  The  vast  region  embracing 
the  Appalachian  chain  of  mountains,  with  its  numerous 
spurs  and  deeply-shaded  defiles,  is  peculiarly  the  home  of 
ferns  preferring  shade  and  moisture.  We  are  happy  to  be 
able  to  include  among  the  Kentucky  ferns  the  beautiful 
Climbing  Fern  {LvgoJiiim  palmatum),  fovmd  in  Laurel  and 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

Rockcastle  counties,  which  is  only  occasionally  met  with 
so  far  westward  and  southward.* 

Ferns  are  ([uite  generally  distributed  over  the  surface  of 
the  globe.  In  the  tropics  they  form  a  very  characteristic 
feature  of  the  vegetation,  lliey  are  found  in  Greenland, 
in  Iceland,  at  the  North  Cape,  and  throughout  all  tem- 
perate regions;  but  it  is  in  the  tropics  that  they  attain 
their  maximum  size.  Here,  only,  they  assume  a  tree-like 
form.  The  horticultural  department  of  the  United  States 
Centennial  Exposition  afforded  American  botanists  a  fine 
opportunity  for  the  study  of  this  curious,  palm-like  plant. 
Speaking  of  the  Tree  Fern,  Darwin  says:  "In  some  of  the 
dampest  ravines  Tree  Ferns  flourish  in  an  extraordinary 
manner;  I  saw  one  which  must  have  been  twenty  feet  high 
to  the  base  of  the  fronds,  and  was  in  girth  exactly  six  feet. 
The  fronds,  forming  the  most  elegant  parasols,  produced  a 
gloomy  shade,  like  that  of  the  first  hour  of  night."  (Voy- 
age of  a  Naturalist,  Am.  Ed.,  page  144.)  In  the  early  ages 
of  the  earth's  history  the  Tree  Fern  must  have  been  widely 
distributed,  as  its  remains  form  a  striking  feature  of  some 

••=■  Mr.  J.  H.  Redfield,  of  Philadelphia,  has  made  a  vahiable  con- 
tribution to  the  "Geographical  Distribution  of  the  Ferns  of  North 
America,"  in  which  the  ferns  inhabiting  this  country  are  arranged  in 
six  geographical  divisions :  I.  Cosmopolitan  :  Widely  distributed 
over  the  globe,  in  both  the  temperate  and  tropical  regions.  II. 
KoREAL:  Inhabiting  (with  a  few  exceptions)  the  northern  portion 
of  the  United  States,  British  America,  and  Greenland.  III.  Appa- 
lachian :  Extending  throughout  the  mountain  and  hilly  regions 
of  the  states  east  of  the  Mississippi.  IV.  Pacific:  Extending  along 
the  western  border  of  the  continent,  from  Alaska  to  California,  and 
appearing  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  region.  V.  New  Mexico:  Inhab- 
iting the  Central  Mountain  regions  of  New  Mexico  and  Colorado. 
VI.  Tropical:  Inhabiting  the  border  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  most 
of  the  species  extending  into  the  West  Indies  and  Tropical  America. 
(See  Bulletin  of  the  Torrey  Botanical  Club,  vol.  vi,  page  l.) 


lO  FEKNS    OF    KENTUCKY. 

geological  formations,  especially  the  coal  measures.  Here, 
on  our  mantel-shelf,  is  a  beautiful  specimen  of  fossil  fern, 
with  all  the  characters  distinctly  marked.  It  is  just  as 
perfect  as  the  living  plant.  What  a  history  this  specimen 
reveals  to  us,  carrying  us  back  through  the  dim,  i)rimeval 
ages  to  the  very  dawn  of  life  upon  the  globe !  * 

From  a  strictly  utilitarian  point  of  view,  very  little  use 
has  been  made  of  ferns,  the  root  of  the  Male  Fern  alone 
furnishing  the  materia  medica  with  a  drug  of  some  value. 
The  true  lover  of  ferns  is  not  troubled  with  this  lack  of 
utility.  The  woods  and  glens  and  mountains  are  replete 
with  objects  of  interest,  whether  seen  with  the  eye  of  a 
botanist  or  of  an  amateur.  He  finds  treasure-trove  in  every 
patch  of  ferns.  E\ery  plant,'  whether  dried  for  household 
decoration,  or  simply  named  and  classified,  will  recall  the 
quiet  loveliness  of  nature  whenever  the  mind  is  vexed 
with  worldly  care.  The  window,  with  its  store  of  living 
plants,  the  ])arlor  wall,  ornamented  with  vines,  the  fern- 
album,  filled  with  carefully  prepared  specimens,  all  serve 
to  tell  the  story  of  their  discovery.  The  Climbing  Fern  is 
there,  reminding  him  of  the  long  tramp  among  the  hills; 
the  little  Bladder  Fern,  recalling  the  visit  to  the  woodland 
spring,  where  it  was  gathered  from  the  crevices  of  the 
drij)ping  rocks,  and  where,  from  the  overhanging  ledge, 
he  attempted  to  trace  the  trailing  root  of  the  Polyi)ody, 
or  watched  the  Lady  Fern  unfolding  its  scroll  of  deli- 
cate tissues. 

■•■■Prof.  Leo  Lesqiieieux  has  recently  described  and  figured  twenly 
fossil  ferns  belonging  to  the  Tertiary  Flora  of  the  United  States. 
(See  Ilayden's  Geological  Survey  of  the  Territories,  vol,  vii.    1878.) 


STRUCTURE.  1 1 


STRUCTURE. 


What  is  a  Fern  ?  The  vegetable  kingdom  is  divided 
into  two  great  classes,  Ph^enogamia  (flowering  plants)  and 
Cryptogamia  (flowerless  plants).  The  ferns  belong  to  the 
latter  class.  The  Royal  P'ern  i^Osiiiunda  rcgalis)  is  often 
called  the  Flowering  Fern;  but  this  is  a  misnomer,  as  no 
ferns  produce  true  flowers.  The  fruit,  or  rather  fertiliz- 
ing organs  of  the  fern,  are  peculiarly  situated,  and  have  a 
very  .showy  appearance,  especially  when  fully  developed; 
AV'hence  the  name  of  Flowering  Fern. 

A  fern  can  be  easily  distinguished  from  all  other  plants 
by  the  texture  of  the  foliage,  by  the  peculiar  character  of 
the  veins,  and  more  especially  by  the  position  of  the  fertil- 
izing organs.  On  the  under  side  of  the  leaf  are  situated  a 
number  of  dark  brown  spots,  some  on  the  edge  of  the  leaf, 
some  at  the  center,  and  others  scattered  irregularly  over 
the  surface.  These  are  the  organs  of  fructification,  and 
are  common  to  all  ferns.  There  are  a  few  exceptions, 
however,  in  the  manner  of  the  arrangement  of  the  fruit- 
spots.  The  Sensitive  Fern  {Onoc/ca  scusilu'/is)  furnishes  a 
very  good  exami)le  of  this  exceptional  method.  ToAvard 
the  end  of  summer  it  sends  up  from  the  root  a  spike  re- 
sembling that  of  a  flowering  plant  in  fruit.  (Plate  XL.) 
This  spike  of  fruit -like  bodies  is  technically  called  the 
fertile  frond,  while  the  other,  which  is  green  and  leaf-like, 
is  termed  the  sterile  frond.  The  fertile  frond,  or  leaf,  of 
most  ferns  is  more  contracted  than  the  sterile,  and  the 
morphological  law  governing  the  conversion  of  leafy  tissue 


12  FERNS    OF    KENTUCKY. 

into  fruit  is  here  well  exhibited.  (See  Plates  L,  LI,  and 
LIl.) 

Another  characteristic  feature  of  true  ferns  is  presented 
in  the  unfolding  of  the  leaf.  In  its  youngest  state  it  is 
cm-led  up  in  a  circinate  fashion;  and,  as  it  comes  up  slowly 
through  the  leaf- mold,  it  gradually  unfolds  its  scroll-like 
form  until  it  reaches  its  last  delicate  leaflet,  and  soon 
afterward  assumes  an  ap{>earance  the  most  graceful  and 
beautiful  in  the  vegetable  kingdom.  The  Adder's  Tongue 
Fern  (Plate  LIX),  and  the  Moonwort  Fern  (Plate  LVIl), 
are  exceptions  to  this  rule;  but,  to  say  the  least,  they  hold 
a  doubtful  place  among  the  true  ferns. 

The  frond,  or  leaf  of  a  fern,  differs  from  that  of  flower- 
ing plants  in  this — the  latter  performs  only  a  foliage  office, 
having  no  connection  with  the  fruit-bearing  organs,  while 
the  former  bears  the  organs  of  fructification,  exercising,  at 
the  same  time,  the  functions  of  the  leaf.  However,  the 
terms  are  almost  synonymous,  and  in  our  discussion  of  the 
subject  we  may  use  the  term  leaf  as  Avell  as  frond.  Prof. 
Sachs,  one  of  the  greatest  living  authorities  on  vegetable 
physiology,  seldom  uses  the  term  frond. 

The  arrangement  of  the  veins  of  the  leaf,  as  has  already 
been  mentioned,  is  very  different  from  that  of  ordinary 
plants.  Having  their  origin  at  the  mid-rib  of  the  leaf  or 
leaflet,  they  proceed  by  successive  bifurcations  toward  the 
margin.  By  decolorizing  a  ])lant  in  a  solution  of  chloride 
of  soda,  this  peculiar  structure  of  the  leaf,  as  well  as  the 
arrangement  of  the  fruit-spots,  will  readily  appear. 

Various  terms  are  used  in  describing  ferns,  which  it  will 
be  necessary  to  explain.  A  clear  comprehension  of  these 
will  enable  the  student  to  understand  the  written  descrip- 
tions at  once,  and  to  determine  the  exact  relations  of  any 
fern  without  the  aid  of  an  illustration.     With  this  end  in 


STRUCTURE.  1 3 

view  I  have  prepared  a  plate,  with  several  diagrams,  giving 
most  of  the  terms  used  in  description.     See  Plate  I. 

The  Root  (Plate  I,  figure  i),  represents  an  under- 
ground stem  or  rhizoma  of  the  common  bracken  [Ftcris 
aquilind),  after  Sachs,  showing  the  remnants  of  the  old 
and  decayed,  as  well  as  the  young  and  living  leaves.  It 
is  a  very  characteristic  root-stock.  An  examination  of  the 
plates  will  enable  the  reader  to  recognize  the  different 
kinds  of  roots,  a  general  description  of  which  is  given 
by  Moore :  "  The  proper  roots  of  ferns  are  fibrous,  and 
they  proceed  from  the  under  side  of  the  stem,  which 
assumes  a  creeping  mode  of  growth ;  but  when  the  stem  is 
erect  they  are  produced  toward  its  lower  end  on  all  sides 
indifferently,  and  proceed  from  among  the  bases  of  the  de- 
cayed leaves.  The  stem  of  a  fern  forms  either  an  upright 
stalk,  called  a  caudex,  which  in  our  species  seldom  elevates 
itself  above  the  surface  of  the  ground,  but  in  certain  exotic 
ferns  reaches  from  thirty  to  fifty  feet  or  more  in  height, 
and  gives  a  tree-like  character  to  the  species;  or  it  extends 
horizontally  either  on  or  beneath  the  surface  of  the  soil, 
and  forms  what  is  called  a  rhizome  or  creeping  stem."-'- 

The  Leaf.  (Plate  IV.)  The  lower  portion  of  the  leaf 
is  termed  the  stipe,  and  is  somewhat  analogous  to  the  leaf- 
stalk of  flowering  plants.  The  upi)er  part  is  more  properly 
termed  the  frond,  and  is  the  fruit-bearing  portion.  The  stipe 
may  be  simply  a  continuation  of  the  root-stock  (Plate  I,  fig- 
ure i),  or  it  may  be  jointed  (articulated),  as  shown  in  Poly- 
podium  (Plate  IV).  This  is  an  important  character  in  the 
classification  of  ferns.  Leaves  are  either  simple  or  com- 
pound. They  are  simple  when  undivided;  compound  when 
cut  or  parted  into  segments  or  lobes.  Nearly  all  of  the 
ferns  have  compound  leaves. 

*  Popular  History  of  British  Ferns,  page  12. 


14  FERNS   OF    KENTUCKY. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  PLATE  I. 


Figure  i — Root  of  Pteris  aquilina  (Sachs). 

"       2 — Simple  leaf,  with  wavy  outline. 

"       3 — Pinnatifid  leaf. 

"       4 — Pinnate  leaf. 

"       5 — Bi-pinnate  leaf. 

"       6 — Tri-pinnate  leaf. 

"       7 — Somewhat   wedge-shaped  leaf,   showing   the 
venation. 
Figure  8 — Serrate  and  ciliate  leaf. 

"       9 — Winged  leaf. 

"     10 — Scaly  and  circinate  leaf,  unfolding. 


^ 


f;  I 
STRUCTURE. 


CULTIVATION.  1 5 


C  U  L  T I  V  A  T I O  N. 


In  whatever  light  we  may  view  the  study  of  the  fern 
tribe,  we  are  apt  to  be  somewhat  enthusiastic.  It  is  by  no 
means  necessary  to  spend  much  money  in  the  cultivation 
of  ferns.  A  strong  square  or  oblong  case  will  answer  the 
purpose  very  well.  It  may  be  elaborate,  and  in  keeping 
with  the  other  furniture  in  the  room.  This  question,  how- 
ever, may  be  left  entirely  to  the  taste  of  the  owner.  A 
case  well  filled  with  ferns,  in  a  healthy  condition,  is  an 
endless  source  of  enjoyment.  You  are  sure  to  visit  it 
every  morning  to  watch  the  new  fronds  unfolding  their 
downy  heads,  and  to  mark  their  growth  day  by  day.  In 
the  far  corner,  where  you  least  expected  it,  you  observe 
a  new  one  peeping  above  the  soil.  This  is  followed  by  a 
regular  succession  until  you  discover,  when  it  is  probably 
too  late,  that  your  case  is  too  small.  A  case  is  almost 
indispensable  to  any  one  desirous  of  making  ferns,  in  all 
their  phases,  the  subject  of  careful  study.  The  spores, 
when  ripe,  are  scattered  all  around,  and  a  few  of  them 
are  sure  to  germinate. 

The  etching  of  the  young  fern  (Plate  II,  figure  6)  was 
drawn  from  a  specimen  taken  from  our  own  fern-case. 
These  delicate,  flat  bodies  are  attached  to  the  glass  of  the 
sides  or  to  the  root-stocks  of  other  ferns.  A  fern-case  is 
also  very  useful  for  preserving  the  plants  when  newly  col- 
lected, if  it  be  desirable  to  examine  them  carefully  before 
placing  them  within  the  drying  papers. 

Fern-cases  are  usually  called  Wardian   cases  in  honor 


l6  FERNS    OF    KENTUCKY. 

of  Mr.  N.  B.  Ward,  of  London,  who  was  the  first  to  culti- 
vate ferns  in  small,  close  cases,  suitable  for  a  small  room 
or  i)arlor.  The  size  of  the  case  should  not  be  less  than 
twelve  by  twenty-four  inches.  The  box  for  holding  the  soil 
should  be  four  and  a  half  or  five  inches  deep,  lined  with 
zinc  or  asphaltum;  the  height  of  the  glass,  twelve  inches, 
and  the  roof,  nine  inches.  In  a  case  of  these  dimensions 
a  fern  with  fronds  twenty  -  one  inches  in  length  may 
be  grown.  The  same  proportions  may  be  observed  in 
making  larger  cases,  except  that  very  little  increase  in  the 
depth  of  the  box  for  holding  the  soil  will  be  reciuired. 
One  of  double  the  size,  or  eighteen  by  thirty-six  inches, 
will  make  a  handsome  ornament  for  the  room.  Doors  may 
be  made  for  it,  thus  enabling  you  to  examine  the  plants  as 
often  as  desirable,  removing,  from  time  to  time,  the  brown 
and  withered  fronds,  and  destroying  the  slugs  and  parasites 
which  infest  the  plants.  Some  fern -growers  recommend 
that  the  case  be  kept  air-tight.  The  plants  will  doubtless 
grow  well  enough,  but  you  will  be  denied  the  pleasure 
of  examining  them  closely,  and  the  glass  will  always  be 
obscured  with  moisture. 

The  character  of  the  soil  is  of  very  great  imi)ortance. 
Healthy  plants  require  an  appropriate  soil.  In  the  War- 
dian  case  first  lay  on  the  bottom,  to  the  depth  of  one  inch, 
any  drainage  material,  such  as  broken  pieces  of  crockery, 
or  small  bits  of  brick  about  the  size  of  a  marble;  then 
fill  the  wooden  box  with  soil.  Some  prefer  a  mixture  of 
fibrous  peat  and  sand,  while  others  choose  a  light  loam. 
Let  the  soil  be  entirely  free  from  worms  and  slugs.  In  a 
large  case  there  is  a  fine  opportunity  of  showing  good  taste 
in  the  manner  of  planting  the  ferns.  A  lady  friend,  who 
takes  great  interest  in  her  fern -case,  has  it  beautifully 
arranged  every  winter.     She  manages  to  have  the  prettiest 


CULTIVATION.  1 7 

miniature  forest  imaginable — little  moss-covered  cliffs  and 
dells,  with  fragments  of  decayed  stumps  overgrown  with 
trailing  lycopods  and  partridge-berries.  There  is  no  rule 
for  arranging  or  growing  ferns,  any  more  than  in  the  case 
of  flowering-plants.  In  the  case  they  do  not  require  to  be 
watered  often,  since  very  little  evaporation  is  going  on,  just 
as  in  a  damp  and  shaded  wood.  Some  ferns  are  better 
suited  for  this  sort  of  culture  than  others.  In  describing 
the  species  special  attention  will  be  called  to  this  subject. 

Nearly  all  our  native  ferns  can  be  successfully  cultivated 
in  the  open  air  in  a  city  garden,  provided  it  is  kept  moist 
and  well  shaded.  A  northern  aspect  is  better  than  any 
other;  but,  without  being  well  sheltered,  the  fronds  will  be 
apt  to  get  broken  and  tangled,  and  become  less  graceful 
than  in  their  native  woods.  A  gentleman  in  the  city  of 
Louisville  has  been  very  successful  in  the  cultivation  of 
ferns  in  the  open  air.  He  has  two  circular  mounds  com- 
posed chiefly  of  leaf-  mold  from  the  woods.  With  the 
exception  of  some  of  the  rock -ferns,  he  has  growing  in 
these  mounds  nearly  all  the  ferns  indigenous  to  the  State. 
From  early  spring  till  late  autumn  these  mounds  present  a 
scene  of  the  most  luxuriant  vegetation.  The  graceful 
Lady  Fern  waves  its  feathery  fronds,  entangled  with  the 
veil -like  form  of  the  Maiden-hair;  the  Shield  Ferns,  the 
Spleenworts,  the  Osmundas,  and  the  Bladder  Ferns  all  grow 
most  luxuriantly.  The  Sensitive  Fern  seems  to  be  in  its 
special  i)aradise,  with  abundance  of  moisture  and  good, 
rich  soil.  Along  with  the  ferns,  making  the  spot  still  more 
beautiful,  are  a  great  many  of  our  common  wild  flowers — 
the  hepatica,  the  spring  beauty,  the  celandine  poppy,  the 
the  shooting-star,  the  stellaris,  the  mertensia,  and  a  dozen 
others,  rivaling  in  sweetness  and  beauty  the  more  preten- 
tious products  of  the  greenhouses. 


1 8  FERNS   OF   KENTUCKY. 


FERTILIZATION. 


The  subject  of  the  fertiUzation  of  ferns  is  as  interesting 
as  it  is  difficult  of  comprehension.  In  a  book  of  this  kind, 
intended  for  popular  use,  it  will  be  impossible  to  go  into  all 
the  details  of  the  subject.  I  will,  therefore,  only  give  an 
outline  of  the  process  of  fertilization,  as  it  is  at  present  un- 
derstood by  the  best  authorities.  In  his  "Text -book  of 
Botany,"  Prof.  Sachs  has  given  a  very  elaborate  account 
of  the  fertilization  of  ferns,  with  illustrations,  a  few  of 
which  I  have  copied. 

The  first  question  to  be  discussed  relates  to  the  form  and 
nature  of  the  fertilizing  organs.  As  I  have  already  said, 
they  are  generally  situated  upon  the  back  of  the  leaf  or 
frond.  With  the  aid  of  a  pocket  lens  any  one  can  see  their 
exact  position,  whether  on  the  margin  of  the  leaf  or  at  its 
center;  whether  they  form  round,  horse  shoe -like,  or  elon- 
gated patches.  All  these  distinctions  are  very  important  in 
classification;  and,  when  their  significance  is  once  under- 
stood, the  student  will  be  able  to  classify. the  individual 
members  of  any  genus,  native  or  exotic.  It  is,  however, 
impossible  to  determine  the  form  of  the  organs  of  fertil- 
ization without  the  aid  of  a  microscope ;  but  it  need  not  be 
of  very  high  power. 

The  term  sonts  (a  heap)  is  used  in  describing  a  single 
patch;  the  plural,  so?-i,  in  describing  a  number  of  these 
patches.  When  the  fertile  frond  is  observed  under  the 
microscope,  the  sorus  is  found  to  be  composed  of  a  num- 
ber of  beautiful  objects,  ornamented  with  something  like  a 


FERTILIZATION.  I9 

spiral  spring.  These  are  termed  the  sporangia,  or  spore- 
cases.  When  the  sporange  is  ripe  this  elastic  spiral  spring 
breaks,  scattering  the  contents  (spores)  in  a  thousand  direc- 
tions, as  the  pollen  in  flowering  plants.  A  great  many  ferns 
have  a  delicate  membranous  covering  for  the  little  patches; 
this  is  the  indusium  or  involucre.  The  form  of  the  indu- 
sium  is  a  characteristic  feature  in  the  classification  of  ferns. 
Sometimes  it  is  linear,  sometimes  round,  and  sometimes 
fringed.  In  describing  the  several  species  this  will  be  more 
particularly  mentioned.  Some  ferns,  as  the  common  Poly- 
pody and  Beech  Ferns,  are  without  any  indusium,  but  these 
are  exceptional  cases. 

When  the  spore  is  set  free  it  alights  on  some  con- 
venient place,  and  germination,  or  rather  budding,  then 
commences.  Some  spores  will  germinate  in  three  or  four 
days,  while  others  will  require  several  weeks.  The  germi- 
nation of  a  fern-spore  is  very  different  from  that  of  the  seed 
of  a  flowering  plant  or  of  an  ordinary  tree.  With  proper 
heat  and  moisture  a  young  oak  will  be  developed  from  an 
acorn  planted  in  the  soil,  but  the  true  fern  requires  two 
generations  for  its  development.  The  minute,  almost 
invisible  spore  bursts,  its  contents  bud  and  form  new  cells; 
these  cells  continue  to  enlarge,  and  eventually  become  a 
flattish,  heart-shaped  body,  technically  called  the  prothallus. 
The  prothallus  may  be  compared  to  a  flower,  since  it  con- 
tains the  fertilizing  organs,  antheridia,  the  male,  and  arche- 
gonia,  the  female.  The  development  of  the  spore,  in  its 
various  stages,  is  represented  in  Plate  II. 

A  number  of  small  roots  are  formed  beneath  the  prothal- 
lus. These  roots  are  mere  hair-like  bodies,  each  consisting 
of  a  single  tube,  and  quite  transparent.  After  the  archego- 
nium  is  fertilized  a  bud  is  formed,  and  from  this  bud  the 
tender  and  delicate  frond  of  the  fern  is  unfolded. 


20  FERNS    OF   KENTUCKY. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  PLATE  II. 


Figure  i — Sporangium  opening  (Hooker  and  Bauer). 
"       2 — Spores. 
"       3 — Young  prothallus,  growing  from  the  spore  (<?) 

(from  nature ». 
"       4 — Antheridia  with  antherozoids  escaping  (Sachs). 
"       5 — Archegonia  (Saclis). 
"       6 — Develo])ed    prothalhis    with   young   fern    (from 

nature). 
The  figures  arc  all  highly  magnified. 


m 


""^^M'il^ 


M.' 


FFRTiLIZ^TION, 


COLLECTING    AND    DRYING.  21 


COLLECTING  AND  DRYING. 


It  will  scarcely  be  necessary  to  say  much  about  col- 
lecting and  drying  ferns,  as  nearly  every  reader  of  this 
book  has  had  at  least  some  experience  in  this  line.  It 
is  very  difficult  to  dry  wild -flowers  well,  especially  those 
which  are  thick  and  succulent;  but  ferns  are  so  thin  and 
delicate  that  any  ordinary  book  will,  to  some  extent, 
answer  the  purpose.  Boards,  however,  are  better — two 
boards  about  eighteen  inches  long,  ten  inches  wide,  and 
half  an  inch  thick,  with  cross  pieces  at  the  ends,  to  pre- 
vent warping;  plenty  of  soft,  porous  paper  (carpet  paper), 
and  two  leather  straps.  Add  to  these  a  long  tin  box,  for 
preserving  the  specimens,  and  the  outfit  is  complete.  See 
that  the  specimens  you  select  are  perfect,  by  examining  the 
backs  of  the  fronds  and  observing  whether  the  fruit-patches 
are  well  developed — in  a  word,  whether  they  are  character- 
istic examples  of  the  plants  you  wish  to  preserve.  The 
advanced  student  will  probably  select  a  number  of  fronds, 
showing  different  stages  in  the  life  of  the  plant;  but  the 
beginner  should  obtain  the  specimen  apparently  most  char- 
acteristic, including  the  root,  if  not  too  large.  If  it  is 
wanted  for  transplanting,  it  should  be  removed  carefully, 
with  plenty  of  its  native  soil. 

The  proper  way  to  make  a  herbarium  is  this :  select  a 
specimen,  characteristic  both  of  the  species  and  genus, 
well  formed  in  every  respect,  with  every  leaflet  perfect; 
if  the  root  is  to  be  taken,  remove  the  soil  carefully,  without 
destroying  the  delicate  rootlets;   next  place  the  plant  be- 


22  FERNS    OF    KENTUCKY. 

tween  the  papers,  and,  if  too  large  for  the  sheets,  fold  it 
gracefully,  so  as  to  show  the  under  side  of  the  frond,  thus 
serving  the  double  purpose  of  getting  a  large  plant  within 
the  papers,  and  of  showing  the  fruit -dots,  which  charac- 
terize the  genus.     (Plate  XLVI.) 

On  reaching  home,  after  an  excursion,  unfasten  the 
boards  at  once,  change  the  paper,  and  straighten  out  all 
the  irregularly  folded  fronds,  while  they  are  yet  pliant. 
Then  place  the  plants  under  heavy  pressure  by  means  of 
a  screw-press,  or  weights;  repeat  the  process  of  changing 
the  papers  and  examining  the  jilants  for  several  days,  until 
they  are  thoroughly  dried.  Flowering-plants  are  much  more 
difficult  to  manage.  The  quicker  ferns  are  dried  the  bet- 
ter. After  being  thoroughly  dried,  they  are  to  be  named, 
and  placed  permanently  upon  a  large  sheet  of  white 
paper,  sixteen  and  a  half  by  eleven  and  a  half  inches. 
The  plant,  placed  at  the  center,  is  either  fastened  down 
with  fine  white  glue,  or  allowed  to  lie  loosely  on  the  paper, 
to  be  made  secure  afterward  with  narrow  strips  of  paper 
across  the  stem  in  several  places,  glued  at  the  ends.  This 
must  be  done  carefully,  so  as  not  to  allow  the  strips  to  mar 
the  beauty  of  the  plant.  We  have  seen  a  fine  collection 
of  California  ferns,  mounted  in  this  way  by  a  lady,  which 
not  only  displayed  good  taste,  but  produced  a  very  beauti- 
ful effect.  In  the  right-hand  corner  a  label  is  generally 
fixed,  giving  the  name  of  the  plant,  when  and  where  col- 
lected, and  the  name  of  the  collector.  (Plate  IV.)  The 
sheet  containing  the  specimen  is  next  to  be  placed  within 
the  genus  cover.  Thus,  Asplenium  ebeneum,  Asplenium 
Trichomanes,  Asplenium  Ruta-muraria,  etc.,  representing 
separate  species,  are  to  be  placed  in  the  same  genus 
cover. 


COLLECTING    AND    DRYING.  2$ 

A  fern -herbarium  will  be  a  source  of  great  pleasure. 
Every  plant  has  a  history  of  its  own,  recalling  the  scenes 
where  it  was  collected,  and  all  the  attending  circumstances. 
Every  overhanging  ledge,  every  wild  mountain  side,  every 
deep  ravine,  has  its  representative. 


24  FERNS    OF    KENTUCKY. 


CLASSIFICATION. 


The  first  systematic  arrangement  of  ferns  may  be  attrib- 
uted to  Linnaeus,  the  great  Swedish  naturahst,  wlio  laid  the 
groundwork  of  our  present  system,  based  on  the  position 
and  grouping  of  the  sporangia.  The  form  and  arrange- 
ment of  the  spore-cases,  the  character  of  the  covering  or 
indusium,  and  the  venation  of  the  fronds  serve  to  deter- 
mine the  proper  methods  of  classiiication  now  in  use. 

The  earher  systems  of  classification,  though  in  many  re- 
spects imperfect,  were  generally  characterized  by  a  degree 
of  accuracy  which  was  very  remarkable  when  we  consider 
the  limited  facilities  at  hand  at  that  time  for  making  careful 
microscopic  investigations  into  the  minute  structure  of  the 
fertilizing  organs.  Of  the  thirty  genera  established  by 
Swartz,  at  the  beginning  of  the  century,  all  but  two  are 
still  retained  in  the  botanical  works  of  the  present  day. 
The  writings  of  Presl,  of  the  University  of  Prague,  of  Sir 
J.  E.  Smith,  of  England,  of  Fee,  of  Strasburg,  and  of 
Bernhardi  have  done  much  to  render  the  task  of  classifying 
ferns  less  difficult  for  those  who  have  studied  the  subject  in 
modern  times.  Dr.  Mettenius,  of  Lei])sic,  and  Sir  W.  J. 
Hooker,  of  Kew,  have  given  us  the  latest  reliable  works 
on  the  subject  of  the  classification  of  ferns  in  general,  and 
their  systematic  arrangement  into  genera  and  species. 

In  his  excellent  "Text-Book  of  Botany,"  Prof  Sachs,  of 
the  University  of  Wursburg,  makes  the  following  remarks 
on  this  subject:  "The  systematic  classification  of  ferns,  as 
generally  given  in  the  hand-books,  is  based  artificially  on 


CLASSIFICATION.  2$ 

the  form  and  nature  of  the  mature  sporangia  for  the  fam- 
iHes,  and  of  the  sorus  for  the  genera.  It  appears  certain 
that  the  Hymenophyllaceae  contains  the  lowest  forms  most 
nearly  aUied  to  the  Muscine^e.  The  Hymenophyllaceas 
probably  forms  the  starting  point  for  two  or  more  series 
of  families." 

Sachs  establishes  seven  families  for  all  the  known  ferns, 
the  Adder's  Tongue  and  Moonworts  i^Ophioglossaced)  being 
excluded  from  a  place  among  the  true  ferns  and  assigned 
to  a  separate  class.  Prof  Daniel  C.  Eaton,  of  Yale,  the  best 
authority  on  ferns  in  this  country,  adopts  a  classification 
which  is  essentially  the  same  as  that  of  Sachs.* 

The  following  are  the  seven  families  of  Sachs,  with  such 
representative  ferns  as  are  indigenous  to  this  country: 

1.  Hymenophyllace^,      {Trichomanes  radkans). 

2.  Gleicheniace^,  \No  American  fern). 

3.  ScHiz^ACE/E,  {Lygodwm  palmatum). 

4.  OsMUNDACE^,  (Osmunda  regalis). 

5.  Marattiace.e,  {No  American  fern). 

6.  Cyatheace^,  [No  American  fern). 

7.  Polypodiace^,  {Polypodium  vulgare). 

If  the  OPHIOGLOSSACE.E  is  included,  the  Ophioglossum 
vidgatum  will  represent  the  family  in  America,  leaving  the 
second,  fifth,  and  sixth  without  any  representative  in  this 
country. 

The  classification  which  I  have  adopted  in  this  book  is 
that  of  Prof.  D.  C.  Eaton,  as  given  in  the  last  edition  of 
Gray's  Manual,  by  whom  the  ferns  of  the  United  States  are 
arranged  in  four  sub-orders,  as  follows : 

1.  POLYPODIACE^,  3.    OSMUNDACE/E, 

2.  SCHIZ^ACE^,  4.    OpHIOGLOSSACE^. 

*See  article  "Ferns"  in  Johnson's  Cyclopedia,  vol.  ii,  p.  71. 

3 


26 


FERNS   OF   KENTUCKY. 


The  general  characteristics  of  these  sub-orders,  with  the 
addition  of  Hymenophyllaceaa,  which,  at  the  time  Prof. 
Eaton  wrote,  was  supposed  to  be  unrepresented  in  this 
country,  can  be  better  shown  by  figures  representing  the 
different  forms  of  the  sporangia,  upon  which  these  divisions 
are  based : 

PoLYPODiACE^. — Sporangia  with  a  vertical 
(/.  e.  longitudinal),  incomplete,  many -jointed 
ring,  and  therefore  splitting  transversely.  The 
sori  either  cover  the  surfaces  and  veins  of  both 
sides  of  the  leaf,  or  are  confined  to  one  side 
alone;  are  either  distributed  along  the  whole 
course  of  the  veins,  or  are  terminal  on  a  vein 
or  at  a  fork ;  are  either  naked  or  covered  by 
an  indusium.     (Fig.  i.) 

Fig.  I. 

HvMENOPHYLLACE.E.  —  Sporangia  with  an  oblique  or 
transverse  complete  ring,  opening  by  a  longitudinal  slit; 
they  are  formed  on  a  prolongation  of  the  fertile  veins,  pro- 
jecting beyond  the  margin,  and  are  surrounded  by  an  urn- 

sha])ed  indusium.  'I'he 
fertile  end  of  the  veins  of 
the  leaf  i)rojecting  beyond 
its  margin,  or  the  columel- 
la, elongates  by  intercallary 
growth,  and  the  newly- 
formed  sporangia  are,  in  a 
corresponding  manner,  ])roduced  in  a  basipetal  succession. 
They  are  arranged  on  a  spiral  line  on  the  columella.  The 
sessile  sporangia  are  biconvex,  and  are  attached  to  the  col- 
umella by  one  of  their  convex  surfaces  (Sachs).  (Fig.  2.) 
See  also  Plate  XLVII. 


Fig.  2. 


CLASSIFICATION. 


27 


Fig.  3. 


ScHiz.f:ACE.E.  —  Sporangia  ovoid  or  pear-shaped,  sessile 
or  shortly  stalked,  having  a  complete,  trans- 
verse, articulated  ring  at  the  apex,  which  is 
cap-like  and  circular,  and  it  therefore  splits 
longitudinally.  In  our  typical  genus  Lygo- 
dium  the  two  pinnae  at  the  base  of  each 
primary  branch  of  the  leaf  have  a  flatly 
expanded  lamina  definite  in  its  growth. 
The  fertile  segments  are  spicate,  and  each 
bears  on  its  under  side  two  rows  of  sporan- 
gia, each  of  which  is  placed  in  a  pocket- 
shaped  outgrowth  of  the  tissue  of  the  leaf 
(Sachs).     (Fig.  3.)     See  also  Plate  XLIX. 

Osmund  AC  E^.  —  Sporangia  globose,  shortly  stalked, 
opening  into  two  valves  by  a  longi- 
tudinal slit.  They  are  unsymetric- 
ally  rounded,  and,  instead  of  a  ring, 
are  furnished  on  one  side  with  a  pe- 
culiarly developed  group  of  cells 
beneath  the  apex  (Sachs).  In  our 
genus,  Osmunda,  from  the  distribu- 
tion of  the  sori  upon  the  surface  of 
the  leaf,  instead  of  upon  the  veins, 
the  fertile  leaves  become  contracted 
and  no  longer  resemble  the  sterile 
fronds.     (Fig.  4.)     See  also  Plate  LI. 

Ophioglossace.e. — Sporangia  spiked, 
destitute  of  a  ring,  naked,  coriaceous  and 
opaque,  not  reticulated,  opening  by  a 
transverse  slit  into  two  valves,  discharg- 
ing copious  powdery  spores.  According 
to  Sachs  the  sporangia  of  Ophioglossa-  Fig.  5. 

ceae  are  so  essentially  different  from  those  of  other  ferns 


Fig.  4. 


28  FERNS    OF    KENTUCKY. 

that  a  separate  classification  is  necessary.     (Fig.  5.)     See 
Plate  LVIX. 

The  SUB-ORDER  PoLYPODiACE.E  embraces  what  are  gen- 
erally termed  the  true  ferns,  and  is  by  far  the  largest  group, 
not  only  of  ferns  indigenous  to  the  United  States,  but  of 
all  existing  species.  The  arrangement  of  the  fruit-dots  is 
so  varied  in  the  genera  of  this  family  that  Prof.  Eaton  has 
separated  it  into  five  tribes: 

1.  POLYPODIEiE.  4.    AsPIDIE;E, 

2.  PlERIDEiE.  5.    DaVALLIE.(E. 

3.  ASPLENIE^. 

The  following  table,  with  references  to  the  plates,  will 
enable  the  student  to  understand  more  clearly  the  relation- 
ship of  the  genera  to  the  tribes  to  which  they  belong : 

Tribe  i.  Polypodies.  Fructification  on  the  back  of 
the  frond;  no  indusium;  stipes  articulated  to  the  root-stock. 

PoLYPODiuM, Plates  III  and  IV. 

Tribe  2.  Pterides.  Fructification  marginal  or  inter- 
marginal ;  provided  with  a  general  indusium;  stipes  not 
articulated;    veins  free  in  our  species. 

Adiantum, Plate  VI. 

Pteris, Plate  VII. 

Cheilanthes, Plate  IX. 

Pellsa,  ........     Plate  XII. 

Allosorus. 

Tribe  3.  Asplenie^*;.  Fructification  elongated,  cov- 
ered by  a  special  indusium  which  is  attached  by  one  side 
to  the  fertile  vein;  stipes  not  articulated. 

Woodward]  A. 

AsPLENiUM, Plate  XIII. 

Scolopendrium. 

Camptosorus, Plate  XXIV. 


CLASSIFICATION.  29 

Tribe  4.  Aspidie.e.  Fructification  round,  provided 
with  a  special  indusium,  rarely  naked ;  stipes  not  articu- 
lated. 

Phegopteris, Plate  XXVI. 

AspiDiUM, Plate  XXIX. 

Cystopteris, Plate  XXXVII. 

Struthiopteris. 

Onoclea, Plate  XL. 

WooDSiA, Plate  XLII. 

Tribe  5.  Davallie^e.  Fructification  at  the  ends  of  the 
veins,  with  an  indusium  attached  at  the  base  and  opening 
toward  the  margin  of  the  segment. 

DicKsoNiA, Plate  XLV. 

The  remaining  sub-orders  are  represented  in  the  United 
States  by  only  a  few  genera,  and  have  no  tribal  divisions. 

Sub-order  Hymenophpllace^: 

Trichomanes, Plate  XLVII. 

Sub-order  Schiz^ace^: 

SCHIZ^A. 

Lygodium, Plate  XLIX. 

Sub-order  Osmundace^: 

OsMUNDA, Plate  LI. 

Sub-order  Ophioglossace^  : 

Botrychium, Plate  LV. 

Ophioglossum, Plate  LVIX. 

For  a  more  detailed  account  of  the  classification  and 
description  of  the  ferns  of  North  America,  I  would  refer 
the  reader  to  the  excellent  article,  "Filices,"  by  Prof. 
Eaton,  in  the  latest  edition  of  Gray's  Manual,  and  to  his 
splendid  monograph  on  the  "Ferns  of  North  America," 
now  in  course  of  publication. 


KEY  TO  THE  GENERA. 


A.     Sporangia  dorsal  or  marginal,  surrounded  by  an  elastic  ring, 
reticulated  and  pellucid,  opening  transversely  and  irregularly. 

PoLYPODIACEyt:. 

*  Sort  without  an  indusiutn  and  not  covered  with  the  reflexed  margin  of  the 

frond, PoLYPODIEyE. 

Pol;('|MMlinill.     Sori  roundish,  in  one  or  more  rows  on  each  side  of  the  midrib  ; 
'  stipes  articulated  with  the  root-stock.     (Page  33,  Plate  III.) 

■•■  '■■  Sori  marginal  or  intermarginal,  with  an  indtisitim,  or  covered  by  the  reflex 

margin  of  the  frond, Pteride/E. 

Adiantlilll.    Sori  oblong  or  roundish,  marginal ;    stipes  black  and  polished. 

(Page  39,  Plate  VI.) 
Ptoris.     Sori  continuous  at  the  margin,  connecting  the  tips  of  the  free  veins; 

indusiuni  formed  by  the  refle.\ed  margin;  stipes  light  colored.     (Page  41, 

Plate  VII.) 

C'lieilnnthos.  Sori  minute  at  the  ends  of  the  veins;  indusium  continuous 
or  interrupted,  formed  by  the  refle.xed  margin  ;  stipes  near  the  base  brown 
or  black,  shining.     (Page  45,  Plate  IX.) 

I'PHwtt.  Sori  on  the  upper  part  of  the  veins;  indusium  membranaceous, con- 
tinuous, rarely  wanting;  stipes  generally  dark  colored.     (Page  51,  Plate 

AlloMOrtls.  Sori  roundish  or  elongated,  extending  far  down  the  free  veins, 
covered  at  first  with  the  refle.\ed  margin;  stipes  light  colored. 

*  *  *  Sori  oblong  or  linear,  the  indusium  attached  by  one  side  to  the  lateral  veins, 

opening  at  the  other,       Asplenie.«. 

>Voo<lwar4lin.  Sori  forming  a  chain-like  row  on  each  side  of  the  midrib ; 
veins  reticulated. 

A$4I»loililiili.     Sori  elongated,  arising  from  lateral  veins,  opening  toward  the 

midrib;  veins  free.     (Page  53,  Plate  XIII.) 
SooIopeiKlrilliil.     Sori  linear,  confluent  in  pairs;  indusiuni  double,  the  two 

portions  upuning  toward  each  other;  veins  free. 
C'ailiptUNOrils.     Sori  irregularly  scattered,  partly  on  veins  parallel  and  partly 

on  veins  oblique  to  the   midrib,  outer  often  in  pairs;    veins  reticulated. 

(Page  75,  Plate  XXIV.) 

=:■  ':■  i'  *  Sori  round  or  roundish,  placed  on  the  back  of  the  lateral  veins,  rarely 
at  the  apex :  mostly  provided  with  an  indusium AsriDiE.i:. 

I'llOKOpteriN.  Sori  round,  rather  small,  with  an  obsolete  or  no  indusium; 
stipes  not  articulated  with  the  root-stock;  veins  free.  (Page  70,  Plate 
XXVI.) 

.VMpidiliin.     Sori  roundish  ;  indusium  attached  above  the  sori,  orbicular  or 

reniform;   veins  free.     (Page  85,  Plate  XXIX.) 
C'yNtoptoris.     Sori  roundish  ;  indusium  attached  beluw  and  partly  under  the 

sori,  convex,  acuminate ;  veins  free.     (Page  loi,  Plate  XXXVII.) 


(30) 


KEY    TO    THE    GENERA.  3 1 

KIriltllioptoris.      Sori  round;    indiisium  obscure,  somewhat  semicircular; 

fertile  and  sterile  fronds  unlike,  fertile  fronds  pinnate  ;  veins  free. 
OllOt'lca.     Sori  round,  soon  confluent;    indusium  thin  and  hood-like;  fertile 

and  sterile  fronds  unlike,  fertile  frond  twice  pinnate;  veins  reticulated. 

(Page  107,  Plate  XL.) 
WooflKia.     Sori  roundish;    indusium  attached  under  the  sori,  more  or  less 

cut  at  the  margin;  veins  free.     (Page  in,  plate  XLII.) 

::= :;: :;: ;;-.  ^:  Sori  Toundtsh  oT  transvcrsely  elongated,  at  the  ends  0/  the  veins,  with 
an   indiisium  attached  at  the  base,   attd  opening  toward  the   margin. 

Davallie/e. 

Uicksoilia.     Sori  very  small,  marginal,  with  a  somewhat  two-valved,  cup- 
shaped  indusium;  veins  free.     (Page  117,  Plate  XLV.) 

B.  Sporangia  on  a  prolongation  of  the  fertile  vein,  projecting 
beyond  the  margin  of  the  frond,  and  surrounded  by  a  cup-shaped 
indusium Hymenophyllace^. 

Triehoiiiaiies.     Sori  marginal,  within  a  cup-shaped  indusium  ;  the  columella 
e.xserted  and  bristle-like;  veins  forked.     (Page  121,  Plate  XLVII.) 

C.  Sporangia  ovoid  or  pear-shaped,  sessile  or  shortly  stalked, 
with  a  complete  circular  ring  forming  an  apical,  cap-like  zone,  open- 
ing by  a  longitudinal  slit ScHiz^ACE.-E. 

Scbizsea.     Sporangia  naked,  fixed  in  a  double  row  on  the  fertile  segments; 

sterile  fronds,  rigid,  simple,  or  branched. 
Iiyg'tMlilim.     Sporangia  with  a  .-special  scale-like  indusium  for  each  sporange, 

borne  in  a  double   row  on   the  narrow  spicate  fertile  segments ;   fronds 

leafy,  climbing.     (Page  127,  Plate  XLIX.) 

D.  Sporangia  naked,  globose,  clustered  on  the  margin  of  a 
transformed  frond,  with  an  obscure  ring,  reticulated  and  pellucid, 
opening  by  two  regular  valves Osmundace.e. 

Osiniinda.     Sporangia  pedicillate  in  branching  spikes  upon  the  margins  of 
the  very  narrow  segments;  veins  free.     (Page  131,  Plate  LI.) 

E.  Sporangia  sessile,  coriaceous,  opaque,  on  the  margin  of  a 
contracted  frond,  without  reticulations  or  a  ring,  opening  by  a  trans- 
verse slit  into  two  valves;  fronds  not  rolled  up  in  the  bud. 

Ophioglossace/E. 

Botr.vohiuni.     Sporangia  arranged  on  one  side  of  a  pinnate  rachis;  veins 

free,  forked.     (Page  139,  Plate  LV.) 
OphiojS^lossilill.     Sporangia  cohering  on  a  i-celled  2-ranked  simple  spike ; 

veins  reticulated.     (Page  147,  Plate  LVIX.) 


4" 


^ 


PI.  111. 

C'OLYPODIUM,  L. 


GENERA  AND  SPECIES. 


Plate  III. 

POLYPODIUM.     Linnaeus. 

Gen.  Char. — Fruit-dots  naked,  round,  on  the  back  of  the  frond 
at  the  ends  of  the  veinlets,  arranged  in  one  or  two  rows  on  each  side 
of  the  mid-rib ;  stipes  articulated  with  the  creeping,  scaly  root-stock. 

This  is  a  very  extensive  genus,  and  is  widely  distributed 
over  the  entire  globe.  It  is  the  typical  genus  of  the  tribe 
Polypodieae,  and  it  is  easily  recognized  by  its  having  the 
fruit-dots  naked,  or  without  any  covering  (indusium).  These 
are  arranged  on  the  back  of  the  frond,  and,  in  our  species, 
are  very  regular  and  near  the  margin  of  the  pinnules. 
Examined  with  a  pocket  lens  before  the  disruption  of  the 
elastic  ring,  they  have  the  appearance  of  globular  masses  of 
little  berries.  The  veins  are  also  very  characteristic  in  this 
genus,  branching  from  the  mid-rib,  twice  or  thrice  forked, 
and  always  ending  in  little  club-shaped  points.  Held 
between  the  observer  and  the  light,  especially  after  being 
decolorized,  this  peculiarity  will  be  readily  distinguished. 
Another  characteristic  of  the  genus  is  the  articulation  of 
the  stipe  or  stalk  with  the  rOot-stock.  On  examining  an 
old  plant,  with  a  pretty  thick  rhizome,  it  will  be  found  to 
be  covered  with  rough  knots,  the  old  stalks,  at  their  point 
of  attachment,  having  left  a  series  of  scars,  just  as  the  leaf- 
stalks of  some  trees  when  they  fall  in  autumn. 

4  (33) 


34  FERNS    OF    KENTUCKY. 

The  name  Polypody  means  many-footed,  and  it  has  been 
explained  to  apply  to  the  branching  of  their  creeping  stems, 
which  have  a  fancied  resemblance  to  Polypes. 

Figure  i  shows  two  pinnules  magnified  about  three 
diameters;  figures  2,  3,  and  4,  sporangia  and  spores 
greatly  magnified. 


-WKS*^^ 


.r:*.-t^ 


'f     ?»c«ifc 


•^^^^fe 


A 


'^^^ 


^ 


.  >% 


"to     •»    ^     fc=- 


jS^r^  -t"  — 


.-t-s:"  >^'^--'  -^''-^ 

PI,  IV 

POLYPODIUM    VULGARE.L 

Common   Poiypody. 


MEP.B     .r.    V\'. 
P.VULoARE,  .  L. 


Overhanging    Sandstone  Hocks, 

ROCKCASTLE.CO.KY.  ^77. 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  35 

Plate  IV. 
POLYPODIUM  VULGARE.     Linnaeus. 

Common  Polypody. 

The  Common  Polyi)ody  is  a  typical  species,  having  the 
characteristic  creeping  root-stock  of  the  genus.  It  is  gener- 
ally found  growing  among  the  mosses  on  overhanging  rocks, 
although  it  is  rarely  confined  to  any  special  habitat.  In 
England  and  Scotland  it  often  grows  on  the  trunks  of  trees, 
and  sometimes  even  upon  the  thatched  roofs  of  cottages. 
Some  specimens  in  my  own  collection  were  found  on  the 
banks  of  Loch  Lomond,  Scotland,  growing  on  a  dry  stone 
wall,  the  thick  rhizomes  imbedded  in  the  moss  below.  This 
fern  has  a  wide  geographical  range,  and  in  the  United  States 
belongs  to  the  Appalachian  division  of  Mr.  Redfield's  classi- 
fication. In  Kentucky  it  grows  to  perfection  in  Rockcastle 
and  Laurel  counties;  also  in  Madison  County  (Short).  I 
visited  the  former  county  in  the  middle  of  March,  and  was 
surprised  to  find  this  fern  in  such  abundance,  especially  at 
this  season.  Every  sheltered  rock,  whether  on  the  hill- 
sides or  along  the  banks  of  streams,  was  literally  covered. 
Thickly  imbedded  in  a  carpet  of  moss,  it  can  be  detached 
from  the  overhanging  rocks  in  great  masses.  The  average 
size  of  the  full-grown  plant  is  from  eight  to  ten  inches. 
The  root-stock  is  densely  covered  with  chaffy  scales.  The 
frond  is  oblong,  somewhat  lanceolate  or  alternate  pinnatifid, 
the  leafy  portion  commencing  a  little  below  the  upper  half 
of  the  frond;  the  divisions  linear  oblong,  with  a  wavy 
outline,  sometimes  slightly  serrated.  The  whole  plant  is 
smooth,  and  always  has  a  fresh,  dark  evergreen  appearance. 
In  sheltered  localities  it  remains  green  all  winter.  The 
articulation  of  the  stem  is  shown  in  the  illustration. 


x^:; 

^r 

^  ■ 

1^  C^^ 

'm 

^           *■"'"  ■*■'' 

'¥^« 


■'iiO' 


~^-, 


^ 


PI   Y 

POLYPODIUM     INCANUM,    Swart2. 

Scaly  Polypody. 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  37 

Plate  V. 
POLYPODIUM   INCANUM.     Swartz. 

The  Scaly  Polypody. 

This  fern  is  essentially  tropical  in  its  distribution,  growing 
in  great  abundance  throughout  the  Southern  States,  but 
rarely  extends  so  far  north  as  Kentucky,  and  is  occasion- 
ally found  in  Indiana  and  Illinois.  It  usually  grows  upon 
trees,  but  sometimes  on  overhanging  rocks.  Southward  it 
is  luxuriant  on  live-oaks,  and,  in  this  latitude,  is  found 
oftenest  on  the  oak  and  sycamore.  The  illustration  is  from 
a  specimen  found  near  Rock  Springs,  Oldham  County, 
growing  upon  a  sycamore  tree,  extending  along  the  ti'unk 
for  the  space  of  thirty  feet,  commencing  about  ten  feet 
from  the  base.  It  grew  mainly  on  the  southwest  side  of 
the  tree,  and  appeared  to  have  a  good  foothold,  having 
apparently  existed  there  for  years.  The  roots,  of  course, 
are  in  no  way  connected  with  the  tree,  as  is  the  case  with 
the  mistletoe,  being  merely  imbedded  in  the  moss  and 
earthy  matter  deposited  upon  the  bark.  It  has  been  ob- 
tained at  the  mouth  of  Elk  Lick,  Kentucky  River  (Short); 
near  Lebanon,  Marion  County  (Knott);  at  Livingston, 
Rockcastle  County;  on  Rough  Creek,  Grayson  County; 
near  Rockcastle  Springs,  Laurel  County  (Miss  Rule);  at 
Rock  Springs,  Oldham  County;  near  Cumberland  Gap, 
Bell  County  (Jordan) ;  and  in  Hardin  and  Edmonson  coun- 
ties, in  Kentucky,  and  upon  oak-trees  and  cliffs  near  the 
Ohio  River,  in  Perry  County,  Indiana  (Smith). 

Prof.  Hussey  says :  "  I  found  this  fern  in  a  very  dry  situ- 
ation on  the  upper  surface  of  the  low  cliff  which  borders  the 
depression  in  which  the  mouth  of  Mammoth  Cave  opens. 
Standing  with  the  back  to  the  cave,  near  its  mouth,  the  rock 


38  FERNS    OF    KENTUCKY. 

on  which  this  fern  is  found  is  to  the  right  on  the  low  cliff 
fifty  or  sixty  feet  above  and  a  hundred  yards  toward  Green 
River.  The  rock  is  not  in  sight  in  the  summer  on  account 
of  the  dense  foliage.  Another  locality  is  about  twenty  miles 
to  the  west,  on  a  branch  of  Nolin  Creek,  near  the  old  Iron 
Furnace,  where  it  covers  a  large  rock.  In  this  locality  it 
has  large  fronds,  and  they  are  very  full  of  fruit-dots." 

A  curious  feature  about  this  fern  is  its  great  tenacity  to 
life,  resembling,  in  this  respect,  the  Sclaginella  cofivohiia,  a 
plant  allied  to  the  lycopods.  When  dry  the  fronds  are 
contracted  and  curled  up,  apparently  utterly  devoid  of 
life;  but  the  moment  they  are  moistened  they  expand 
and  become  fresh  and  green  again.  Some  specimens  were 
sent  to  me  from  Perry  County,  Indiana,  in  February,  which 
were  all  shriveled  up  and  appeared  to  be  dead.  Upon 
moistening  the  moss  about  the  roots  the  plants  at  once 
revived,  and  grew  as  luxuriantly  as  if  upon  their  native 
trees.  It  has  the  same  general  appearance  as  the  common 
Polypody,  but  is  niucli  smaller.  The  jjlant  represented  in 
the  Plate  is  of  natural  size. 

On  the  stipe  and  back  of  the  frond  are  situated  a 
great  number  of  scales,  giving  the  plant  a  rusty  appear- 
ance. The  tissue  of  the  scale  has  a  loose,  cellular  struct- 
ure, resembling  the  indusium  of  some  ferns. 

It  is  a  well-marked  species,  and  can  be  readily  distin 
guished.  It  is  not  easily  cultivated  in  the  Wardian  case, 
but  may  be  grown  successfully  with  a  little  care.  {Plate  V., 
figure  2.     Scale  magnified.) 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  39 

Plate  VI, 

ADIANTUM.     Linnaeus. 

Gen.  Char. — Fruit-dots  oblong  or  roundish,  marginal ;  indusium 
formed  by  the  refiexed  margin  of  the  lobes  of  the  pinnules;  stipes 
black  and  polished,  bearing  delicate,  veil-like  fronds. 

This  is  a  large  and  beautiful  genus,  characterized  by  its 
having  the  spore-cases  situated  on  the  reflexed  margin  of 
the  leaflets.  This  reflexed  margin  serves  the  purpose  of 
an  indusium,  or  covering,  the  spore-cases  being  attached 
to  the  underside,  and  hence  turned  upside  down  upon  the 
surface  of  the  frond.  All  the  plants  have  black,  shining, 
wiry  stems,  variously  branched,  with  the  leaflets  somewhat 
wedge-shaped,  often  fan-shaped,  crenate,  or  fringed.  The 
Adiatum  is  a  favorite  genus  with  the  gardeners  on  account 
of  its  great  beauty,  its  easy  cultivation,  and  its  convenience 
in  giving  variety  to  bouquets.  A  very  handsome  species, 
Adiantum  Farleyense,  has  been  lately  introduced  in  our 
greenhouses.  The  common  name  of  the  fern  is  Maiden- 
hair, and  is  applied  indiscriminately  to  all  the  species,  as 
well  to  the  A.  Capillus-Veneris,  found  in  the  South  of  Eng- 
land, as  to  our  own  A.  pedatum.  The  general  appearance 
of  the  plants,  however,  is  quite  different,  although  the  char- 
acteristic features  of  the  genus  are  common  to  both.  They 
have  the  same  black,  wiry  stems  and  branches,  with  leaflets 
spreading  like  an  embroidered  veil. 

There  are  two  species  of  Maiden-hair  indigenous  to  this 
country — A.  Chilense,  Klf.,  a  native  of  California,  and  be- 
longing to  the  Mexican  flora,  and  A.  pedatum  (Linnasus), 
very  common  in  this  region,  belonging  to  the  Appalachian 
group. 


40  FERNS   OF    KENTUCKY. 

Plate  VI. 
ADIANTUM  PEDATUM.     Linnaeus. 

Maiden-hair  Fern. 

The  Maiden -hair  is  one  of  the  most  common  ferns 
in  our  Kentucky  woods,  and  is  most  luxuriant  in  damp, 
secluded  nooks,  where  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun  seldom 
penetrate.  There  is  no  danger  that  the  enthusiastic  fern- 
collector  will  ever  be  able  to  exhaust  the  supply  of  this 
lovely  plant  in  our  woods,  since  it  is  so  plentiful  every 
where.  The  only  regret  seems  to  arise  from  the  impossi- 
bility of  conveying  home  but  a  few  of  the  many  examples 
of  this  woodland  fairy. 

It  has  a  creeping  root-stock,  sending  up  early  in  June  a 
veil-like  frond  of  branching  leaflets.  The  upjier  edge  of 
the  leaflet  is  notched  wherever  the  margin  turns  over  to 
inclose  the  spore-cases.  The  stem  is  black  and  shining, 
dividing  towards  the  top  into  two  main  branches.  These 
are  again  divided,  forming,  when  fully  developed,  a  pedate, 
or  somewhat  horse-shoe-like  frond.  This  fern  is  very  suita- 
ble for  general  cultivation  in  the  \\'ardian  case,  in  green- 
houses, or  in  mounds  in  the  open  air,  if  well  sheltered  from 
the  sun.  The  Plate,  on  account  of  its  small  size,  gives  but 
an  imperfect  idea  of  what  may  be  regarded  as  the  loveliest 
of  all  our  American  ferns.  Figure  2  shows  part  of  a  pin- 
nule of  natural  size;  figure  3,  a  lobe  of  the  pinnae,  magni- 
fied and  laid  open  (after  Hooker  and  Bauer). 


■'f^ 


\}j 


PI  vr 

ADIANTUM     PEDATUM.L 
Maiden    Hair. 


\^^^-r 


^^^• 


/%^: 


-^  ''iJTrr/^. 


'    / 


4 


■^ 


GENERA   AND   SPECIES.  4I 

Plate  VII. 

PTERIS.     Linnaeus. 

Gen.  Char. — Fruit-dots  on  the  margins  of  the  frond  in  a  continu- 
ous line,  the  reflexed  margin  forming  the  indusium ;  sporangia  at- 
tached to  a  vein-like  receptacle  which  connects  the  tips  of  the  veins; 
stipes  light  colored. 

This  is  the  typical  genus  of  the  tribe  Pterideae,  and  is 
widely  distributed.  It  is  characterized  by  its  having  the 
spore -cases  arranged  in  a  continuous  line  along  the  mar- 
gins of  the  pinnules.  The  organs  of  fructification  are  cov- 
ered by  the  reflexed  margin  of  the  leaflet,  which  forms  a 
continuous  membranaceous  indusium. 

The  various  species  of  this  fern  differ  very  widely  from 
each  other  in  form  and  color;  some  have  the  pinnules 
very  long  and  linear,  like  ribbon-grass;  others  are  beauti- 
fully tinted,  resembling  variegated  leaves. 

An  examination  of  the  underside  of  the  leaf,  with  its 
reflexed  margin,  will  always  enable  the  student  to  deter- 
mine the  true  character  of  this  genus.  It  is  closely  allied 
to  the  genus  Pellaea,  which,  in  fact,  was  formerly  included 
in  it.  There  would  seem,  however,  to  be  good  ground  for 
the  distinction,  and  the  best  authorities  have  sanctioned 
the  separation.  Figure  i,  pinnules  slightly  magnified; 
figures  2  and  3,  sporangia  and  spores  greatly  magnified. 
(Hooker  and  Bauer);  figure  4,  reflexed  margin  laid  open, 
showing  the  venation. 


^ 


PI.  vn; 

PTERIS      AOUILINA,   L 
Common    Brake. 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  43 

Plate  VIII, 
PTERIS   AQUILINA.     Linnaeus. 

The  Common  Bracken. 

The  term  Bracken  is  applied  by  some  persons  to  all 
kinds  of  ferns.  But  the  name  appropriately  belongs  only 
to  the  Pteris  aquilina.  It  is  very  properly  referred  by 
Mr.  Redfield  to  his  Cosmopolitan  division,  on  account  of 
its  general  distribution.  It  grows  abundantly,  both  in  the 
new  and  the  old  world.  It  is  common  on  nearly  all  our 
Kentucky  knobs,  and  is  occasionally  met  with  in  the  val- 
leys, especially  among  the  loftier  hills.  On  the  AUegha- 
nies,  in  this  country,  and  in  the  highlands  of  Scotland,  the 
bracken  often  covers  acres  of  ground,  and  such  places  be- 
come the  favorite  haunt  of  the  deer.  In  Kentucky  it  is 
always  found  associated  with  the  huckleberry,  the  moun- 
tain laurel,  and  other  members  of  the  heath  family. 

It  is  a  strong,  vigorous  fern,  often  three  or  four  feet 
high;  the  stout  stalk  having  three  wide-spreading  branches, 
giving  the  Avhole  plant  a  triangular  form.  On  account  of 
its  robust  habit  it  is  not  very  attractive  in  a  small  fernery, 
and  is,  besides,  not  readily  cultivated.  In  its  native  woods 
it  is  exceedingly  picturesque,  and  is  a  striking  feature  of 
the  vegetation.  It  is  impossible  to  represent  this  fern  well 
on  a  small  plate. 

Plate  I,  figure  i  (after  Sachs),  represents  the  root  of  the 
Pteris  aquilina,  giving  a  good  idea  of  its  manner  of 
growth. 


^•?  f 


\  # ' 


t:,'* 


W'^^  ^  /111 


\, 


— i^^ 


SL 


^ 


PI  rx. 

CHEILANTHES  ,    Swartz 
Lip-Pern. 


GENERA   AND   SPECIES.  45 

Plate  IX. 

CHEILANTHES.     Swartz. 

Gen.  Char. — Fruit-dots  at  the  ends  of  free  veins,  covered,  when 
young,  by  a  mostly  continuous  indusium,  formed  by  the  reflexed 
margin  of  the  lobe ;  low,  hairy,  sometimes  woolly  plants,  with 
stipes  brown  or  black,  shining. 

The  species  of  Cheilanthes  are  very  numerous,  and  are 
distributed  over  the  tropical  and  temperate  regions  of  the 
globe.  The  Cheilanthes  fragrans,  a  dwarf  bi-pinnate  spe- 
cies, whose  fronds  have  a  pleasant  odor  like  that  of  new- 
mown  hay,  is  found  along  the  Mediterranean,  and  reaches 
as  far  north  as  Switzerland.  Arabia,  Abyssinia,  South 
America,  and  the  West  Indies  yield  a  variety  of  species. 
Three  well-marked  species  are  indigenous  to  the  Northern 
United  States,  and  several  to  the  Pacific  States  and  Mexico. 

Some  of  the  species  of  this  beautiful  genus  have  the 
underside  of  the  fronds  covered  with  a  silvery  or  golden- 
colored  powder,  as  in  Gymnogramme.  The  fructification 
is  somewhat  similar  to  that  of  the  Adiantum,  but  this 
apparent  similarity  disappears  on  close  examination.  In 
Cheilanthes  the  fruit-dots  are  arranged  at  the  ends  of  the 
veins,  close  to  the  margin  of  the  pinnule.  This  margin  is 
turned  over  so  as  to  form  a  lip,  which  then  becomes  the 
indusium.  From  this  peculiarity  of  the  indusium  the 
generic  name  is  derived — the  lip-flower. 

The  Plate  shows  a  pinnule  slightly  magnified;  and  figure 
2,  a  lobe  greatly  magnified. 


^^ 


\ 


'-  '    ..^ 


'||^;?|^i< 


^> 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  47 

Plate  X. 
CHEILANTHES  VESTITA.     Swartz. 

Clothed   Lip-fern. 

The  ferns  of  this  genus,  at  least  those  indigenous  to  the 
United  States,  are  very  strikingly  marked  with  a  great  pro- 
fusion of  hairs,  which  cover  the  stalks  and  give  them  a 
rusty  appearance.  This  plant,  however,  is  less  hairy  than 
any  of  the  other  species  found  in  this  country.  The  frond 
is  twice  pinnate,  lanceolate,  with  oblong  pinnatifid  pinnules, 
somewhat  slender,  usually  seven  or  eight  inches,  but  some- 
times fifteen  inches  in  height.  The  mature  fronds  appear 
to  be  crisped  from  the  reflexed  condition  of  the  lobes  of 
the  pinnules.  The  hairs  are  flattened,  and  strongly  articu- 
lated, with  from  three  to  five  joints,  a  characteristic  which 
is  not  readily  perceived  without  the  aid  of  the  microscope. 
The  C.  vestita  is  exceeding  variable  in  form  and  general 
appearance,  which  is  probably  due  to  local  and  climatic 
influences.  It  is  rare  in  Kentucky,  and  does  not  appear 
to  have  been  found  by  the  earlier  botanists  of  the  State. 
It  is  chiefly  confined  to  the  mountain  regions.  Some  fine 
specimens  were  obtained,  last  summer,  by  Dr.  Crosier  on 
Sweet  Lick  Knob,  near  Irvine,  Estill  County.  Although 
growing  in  the  greatest  luxuriance  upon  the  rocks  near  the 
summit,  the  plants  seemed  to  be  rather  diminutive,  as  the 
largest  fronds  were  scarcely  more  than  four  inches  in 
length.  This  was  probably  owing  to  the  exposed  situation 
where  they  grew.  It  is  quite  hardy,  and  able  to  withstand 
long  droughts,  as  its  fresh,  green  appearance  upon  the 
parched  declivities  of  Sweet  Lick  Knob  sufficiently  indi- 
cates. Prof.  Hussey  found  it  near  the  boundary  line  of 
Edmonson  and  Barren  counties,  growing  upon  sandstone 


48  FERNS    OF    KENTUCKY, 

rocks  "around  a  small  well-like  depression,  eight  or  ten 
feet  deep,  on  the  eastern  part  of  the  ridge  in  which  Short 
Cave  is  situated,  not  far  from  Diamond  Cave."  The  spec- 
imens from  the  latter  locality  are  much  larger  than  those 
from  Estill  County. 

The  Plate  shows  a  plant  of  natural  size,  with  the  fronds 
in  different  stages  of  development. 


/ 


^ 


mi:^ 


Fl  XI 
CHEILANTHES    TOMENTOSA,    Link 
Woolly    Lip-Fern. 


GENERA   AND   SPECIES.  49 

Plate  XI. 
CHEILANTHES  TOMENTOSA.     Link. 

Woolly   Lip-fern. 

This  is  the  rarest  as  well  as  the  tallest  and  handsomest 
of  the  lip-ferns.  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  it  in  this 
State,  though  Prof.  Gray,  probably  on  the  authority  of  Dr. 
Short,  attributes  it  to  Kentucky,  without  mentioning  any 
locality.  It  is  doubtless  indigenous  to  the  State,  since  it 
has  been  found  in  the  mountains  not  far  from  the  border, 
both  in  Tennessee  and  North  Carolina.  It  is  probably  the 
Nephrodium  lanosum,  of  Michaux,  who  gives  its  habitat 
as  "rocky  mountains  of  Tennessee  and  North  Carolina." 
I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  C.  E.  Faxon,  of  Boston,  for  the  plant 
I  have  figured,  who  informs  me  that  "it  came  from  the 
Holston  River,  Tennessee,  where  his  brother  collected  a 
considerable  quantity  of  it  several  years  ago."  Mr.  Red- 
field  writes  me  that  "  the  best  known  locality  is  on  the  rocks 
along  French  Broad  River,  just  on  the  boundary  between 
North  Carolina  and  Tennessee,  where  it  is  very  abundant. 
Possibly  it  may  recede  farther  West,  and  it  is  to  be  sought 
for,  if  any  where,  not  far  from  Cumberland  Gap,  and  along 
the  southeast  border  of  the  State."  It  is  highly  desirable 
that  local  collectors  should  make  an  effort  to  decide  the 
vexed  question  of  its  existence  in  Kentucky,  and  furnish 
us  with  the  exact  locality  in  all  cases. 

The  best  specimens  of  this  plant  which  I  have  seen  are 
not  more  than  eight  or  nine  inches  in  height,  but  I  am 
assured  that  it  is  often  found  fifteen  or  twenty  inches.  The 
fronds  are  lanceolate,  oblong,  tri-pinnate,  and  densely  cov- 
ered with  slender,  whitish  hairs.  The  upper  side  of  the 
frond  is  of  a  dark  green  color,  and  much  smoother  than 

5 


5©  FERNS    OF    KENTUCKY. 

the  under  side,  which  is  quite  woolly.  It  has  a  tufted  root, 
clothed  with  a  profusion  of  long  rusty  hairs.  The  dark 
brown  stipe  is  also  hairy.  The  tri- pinnate  character  of 
the  fern  is  not  perceptible  at  first,  on  account  of  the  nu- 
merous hairs  beneath,  concealing  the  delicate  segments 
and  lobes  of  the  pinnae.  When  the  plant,  however,  is 
mounted  on  white  paper  and  held  up  between  the  ob- 
server and  the  light,  the  beautiful  tri-pinnate  outline  of  the 
fronds  becomes  at  once  apparent.  It  is  difficult  to  repro- 
duce its  peculiar  woolly  texture  in  an  etching,  so  that  it 
may  be  readily  distinguished  from  the  C.  vestita;  but  its 
specific  characters  are  sufficiently  marked  to  enable  almost 
any  one  to  identify  it. 


GENERA   AND    SPECIES.  $1 

Plate  XII. 
PELL^A.      Link. 

Cliff-Brake  Fern. 

Gen.  Char. — Fruit-dots  in  elongated  patches  on  the  upper  part 
of  the  veins ;  indusium  membranaceous,  continuous,  formed  of  the 
reflexed  margin;  stipes  dark  colored. 

This  genus  has  a  great  resemblance  to  Pteris,  and  was 
formerly  embraced  in  that  genus.  But  it  is  evidently  dis- 
tinct. In  the  Pellasa  the  sporangia  are  arranged  in  elongated 
clusters  at  the  ends  of  free  veins.  This  is  well  exhibited 
in  the  young  fertile  frond;  but,  as  the  plant  grows  and 
reaches  maturity,  the  clusters  of  sporangia  are  distributed 
in  a  linear  order  along  the  reflexed  margin  of  the  pinnule, 
forming  a  continuous  line  as  in  the  genus  Pteris.  Near  the 
apex  of  the  leaflet  it  has  a  somewhat  transparent,  mem- 
branaceous border,  which,  toward  the  base,  is  folded  over, 
and  forms,  with  the  re-curved  margin  of  the  pinnule,  the 
covering  or  indusium. 

This  genus  is  sometimes  confounded  with  Allosorus 
(Bernhardi),  to  which  it  is  very  nearly  related.  There  are 
ten  species  in  the  United  States,  mostly  found  in  the 
Pacific  States  and  New  Mexico;  but  one  is  indigenous 
to  Kentucky. 

I  have  attempted  to  show,  in  the  magnified  pinnule  rep- 
resented in  the  illustration,  the  characteristic  nature  of  the 
veins  and  of  the  indusium. 


52  FERNS    OF    KENTUCKY. 

Plate  XII. 
PELL^A  ATROPURPUREA,     Link. 

Cliff-Brake  Fern. 

The  root-stock  of  this  fern  is  tufted  and  surrounded  with 
a  number  of  chaffy  scales.  The  stem  is  very  black  and 
polished,  with  a  wiry  appearance.  The  entire  plant  is  stiff 
and  coriaceous.  The  frond  is  pinnate,  the  pinnules  of  the 
sterile  frond  being  more  oval  than  those  of  the  fertile,  and 
somewhat  heart-shaped  at  the  base.  The  fertile  frond  is 
quite  large,  and  in  some  situations  attains  the  height  of 
fifteen  inches. 

This  fern  is  very  properly  called  Cliff- Brake,  as  it  is 
usually  found  in  the  crevices  of  dry  cliffs.  It  is  well  dis- 
tributed over  the  state  of  Kentucky,  wherever  there  are 
limestone  cliffs,  though  it  is  occasionally  found  in  sand- 
stone formations.  It  is  very  abundant  on  the  sides  of  the 
cliffs  bordering  on  Beargrass  Creek  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Louisville,  on  the  limestone  cliffs  of  the  Kentucky 
River  (Short),  and  generally  along  the  cliffs  of  the  Ohio 
River.  In  some  places  the  fronds  do  not  decay  during  the 
winter,  becoming  brownish  and  curled  up,  and  no  longer 
performing  the  office  of  a  leaf,  after  the  growth  of  the  new 
fronds  takes  place. 

In  cultivation  it  answers  well  for  rock-work,  but  is  not 
suitable  for  the  Wardian  case. 

The  Plate  shows  a  plant  of  natural  size. 


PI   XII 
PELL^A.ATROPURPURFA,    Link. 

Cliff    Brake 


^"^^^k^L***- 


:?\ 


\J.' 


Pl.XIU 

ASPLENIUM,  L 

Spleen  wort 


GENERA   AND    SPECIES.  53 

Plate  XIII. 
ASPLENIUM.     Linnaeus. 

S  P  L  E  E  N  \V  O  R  T. 

Gen.  Char. — Fruit-dots  oblong  or  linear,  oblique;  indusium 
arising  from  the  lateral  veins,  opening  toward  the  mid-rib,  sometimes 
double ;  veins  free,  simple,  or  forked. 

The  genus  Asplenium  is  the  type  of  the  tribe  Aspleniese, 
and  is  one  of  the  largest  of  the  whole  family  of  ferns.  Ten 
species  are  indigenous  to  Kentucky,  and  embrace  all  the 
species  found  in  the  Northern  United  States,  except  the 
somewhat  doubtful  A.  ebenoides.  Their  habitat  is  as 
varied  as  their  forms.  They  are  found  on  mountain  sides 
or  in  moist,  open  woods,  on  shaded  cliffs,  or  in  deep,  rich 
valleys;  some  are  very  small,  scarcely  more  than  three  or 
four  inches  in  height;  others  attain  the  height  of  as  many 
feet.  The  common  name  of  the  genus  is  Spleenwort,  from 
its  fancied  virtue  in  curing  diseases  of  the  spleen. 

The  sori,  or  fruit-patches,  are  elongated  or  linear  in  form, 
arranged  along  the  back  of  the  frond  somewhat  obliquely 
to  the  mid-rib,  and  near  the  middle  of  the  pinnule — never 
at  its  margin.  In  an  examination  of  the  Asplenium,  the 
young  student  should  procure  a  well-developed  specimen, 
richly  covered  with  fruit-patches;  otherwise  it  will  be  diffi- 
cult to  determine  the  different  species,  especially  the  exotic. 

The  Plate  will  serve  as  a  guide  for  all  our  native  species ; 
figure  I  represents  pinnae  slightly  magnified;  figures  2  and 
3,  sporange  and  spore  greatly  magnified  (Hooker  and 
Bauer);  figure  4,  trichome  or  root-hair.  The  drawings  of 
figures  I  and  4  were  furnished  by  Prof.  Hussey.  The  tri- 
chome (fig.  4)  is  not  generic  in  character,  but  is  found  in 
some  species. 


I 


j-  PI  XIV 

J^  ASPLENIUM     PINNATIFIDUM,  NuiT 

Pmnatifid    Spteenwort 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  55 

Plate  XIV. 
ASPLENIUM   PINNATIFIDUM.     Nuttall. 

This  species  is  the  most  unattractive  of  the  whole  genus. 
The  first  and  second  pinnules  of  the  fronds  are  sometimes 
pinnate,  the  entire  frond  is  generally  pinnatifid,  the  ex- 
tremity slightly  inclined  to  taper  into  a  slender  prolonga- 
tion, somewhat  similar  to  that  of  the  Walking-leaf  Fern, 
though  not  to  such  an  extent.  I  have  never  found  any 
plants  of  this  species  rooting  at  the  apex,  as  in  the  case 
of  the  Walking -leaf.  In  some  localities  the  fronds  are 
very  short  and  blunt,  and  quite  unlike  the  normal  type. 

This  fern  seems  to  frequent  the  neighborhood  of  sand- 
stone cliffs.  It  is  quite  plentiful  in  Rockcastle,  Laurel 
(Miss  Rule),  Estill,  Boone,  and  Grayson  counties;  at 
Rough  Creek,  Hardin  County;  in  Edmonson  and  adjoin- 
ing counties,  distributed  throughout  the  cliff- limestone  re- 
gions of  Kentucky,  and  in  Carter  County,  in  the  north- 
eastern part  of  the  State  (Hussey). 

This  fern  can  not  be  cultivated  successfully  in  mounds, 
on  rock-work,  or  in  the  Wardian  case. 

The  Plate  represents  a  plant  of  natural  size. 


T'^/^v 


lyiig-ci. 


•Si*-^ 


m< 


'^ 


xV 


PI     XV. 
ASPLENIUM     BRADLEYI,   Eaton 

Bradley's  Spleenwort. 


GENERA   AND    SPECIES.  5/ 

Plate  XV. 
ASPLENIUM   BRADLEYI.     D.  C.  Eaton. 

Bradley's  Spleenwort, 

This  exceedingly  rare  fern  has  been  found  only  in  Ten- 
nessee and  Kentucky,  and  was  named  in  honor  of  Prof. 
F.  H.  Bradley,  of  the  East  Tennessee  University,  who 
discovered  the  plant  originally  on  the  top  of  Walden's 
Ridge  in  the  Cumberland  Mountains,  near  Coal  Creek, 
East  Tennessee,  in  1872. 

To  enable  other  botanists  to  recognize  the  more  readily 
this  rare  little  fe^-n,  I  will  give  Prof.  Eaton's  description  of 
the  species:  "Mature  plant  8-10  inches  high;  root-stock 
short,  covered  with  narrow,  acuminate  fuscous  -  black 
scales;  stipes  tufted,  slender,  ebeneous,  as  in  the  lower 
half  or  two  thirds  of  the  rachis;  fronds  membranaceous, 
oblong-lanceolate,  varying  to  linear  oblong,  the  largest  ones 
5-7  inches  long,  and  1^-2  broad,  pinnate;  pinnae  rather 
numerous  (8-12  pairs),  the  lower  ones  more  distant  than 
the  median  ones,  and  of  similar  size,  all  short -stalked, 
oblong-ovate,  obtuse  or  acutish,  more  or  less  incised,  in 
the  largest  pinnatifid  with  oblong  lobes  which  are  toothed 
at  the  apex,  in  the  smallest  deltoid-ovate,  slightly  toothed; 
fruit-dots  short,  near  the  costules;  indusium  delicate.  It 
differs  from  A.  montanum  in  its  larger  size,  more  membra- 
naceous texture,  narrower  outline  of  the  fronds  and  shorter 
stalked  pinnae."  * 

Although  I  have  collected  in  all  the  localities  in  this 
State  where  it  is  likely  to  be  found,  I  have  never  met  with 
it,  and  I  am  indebted  to  Prof.  Hussey  for  the  specimens 
from  which  my  drawing  has  been  made,  and  mainly  for 

•■■See  Bull,  Torr.  Bot.  Club,  vol.  iv,  p.  11. 


58  FERNS    OF    KENTUCKY. 

such  information  as  we  have  of  its  growth  in  Kentucky. 
He  found  it  in  June,  1874,  in  a  single  locahty,  near  Bee 
Spring,  Edmonson  County,  about  twenty  miles  west  of 
Mammoth  Cave.  He  has  given  me  the  following  descrip- 
tion of  this  region:  "All  its  water-courses,  even  the  small- 
est wet-weather  brooks  and  spring  branches,  take  their  rise 
between  a  series  of  steep  cliffs,  which  form  an  elevated 
water-shed  between  Bear  Creek  and  Nolin  Creek,  both  trib- 
utaries of  Green  River,  running  in  parallel  courses,  from  five 
to  ten  miles  apart,  for  a  distance  of  twenty  miles.  This 
water -shed  is  intersected  on  either  side  by  deep,  high- 
walled  ravines,  whence  gush  forth  cool  springs,  which 
either  sink  in  the  porous  sandstone  or  murmur  and  plunge 
headlong  to  these  rapid  creeks.  Under  the  overhanging 
sand -rocks,  sheltered  from  the  sun  and  sweeping  winds, 
are  sometimes  spaces  of  vast  extent,  where  the  aborigines 
had  their  homes,  as  evinced  by  the  numerous  fragments  of 
flints,  and  by  the  mortar  holes  in  the  detached  masses  of 
sand-rock.  On  one  of  these  sandstone  cliffs  I  found  the 
Asplenium  Bradleyi,  and,  recognizing  it  as  new,  I  sent  it  to 
Dr.  A.  H.  Curtiss,  a  botanical  correspondent,  from  whom 
I  learned  that  Prof.  Eaton  had  already  described  it.  On 
revisiting,  in  1877,  the  spot  where  it  was  found,  very  few 
fronds  could  be  obtained,  and  care  should  be  taken  that  it 
is  not  exterminated.  I  have  searched  a  hundred  similar 
localities  without  finding  it.  It  was  found  along  with  the 
A.  montanum  and  A.  pinnatifidum,  and  not  far  from  A. 
ebeneum.  Under  a  moist,  overhanging  rock,  a  few  hun- 
dred yards  distant,  was  found  the  Trichomanes  radicans, 
shut  out  from  direct  sunlight,  and  where  there  was  constant 
dampness." 

In   the   summer  of  1876,  Mr.  C.  C.  Haskins,  of  New 
Albany,  Ind.,  found  a  few  fronds  of  this  rare  fern  in  the 


GENERA   AND    SPECIES.  59 

neighborhood  of  Big  Clifty,  Grayson  County.*  He  de- 
scribes the  locahty  as  on  the  banks  of  Meeting  Creek, 
where  a  huge  bowlder  of  sandstone,  thirty-five  feet  wide  at 
the  base  and  thirty  feet  high,  had  fallen  from  the  cliff,  pre- 
senting a  northern  exposure  perfectly  shaded  from  the  sun. 
The  fronds  were  detected,  on  his  return  home,  among  a 
large  number  of  A.  pinnatifidum,  which  he  had  collected. 
The  specimens  were  fully  identified. 

•'-See  Bull.  Torr.  Bot.  Club,  vol.  vi,  p.  123. 


XVI 


ASPLENMJM    tMcHOMANE; 

Common  Maiden-Hair  Spieenwort 


GENERA   AND   SPECIES.  6l 

Plate  XVI. 
ASPLENIUM   TRICHOMANES.     Linnaeus. 

Common  Maiden-hair  Spleenwort. 

The  Maiden-hair  Spleenwort,  the  common  name  gener- 
ally given  to  it  by  the  British  botanists,  has  a  very  wide 
distribution,  being  found  in  all  the  temperate  regions  of  the 
globe.  Its  habitat  is  generally  on  sandstone  rocks,  often 
associated  with  the  A.  pinnatifidum.  Dr.  Short  found  it 
in  Kentucky  on  shady  rocks;  and  Prof.  Hussey  says  that 
"it  grows  in  dense,  green  tufts,  in  moist  situations,  in  the 
region  which  has  the  Mammoth  Cave  in  its  eastern  part, 
and  extends  south,  west,  and  north  twenty  or  thirty  miles — 
a  region  abounding  in  steep  and  often  overhanging  cliffs — 
in  all,  it  may  be  a  hundred  miles  in  extent.  Where  the 
water  drips  from  the  rocks  and  constantly  bedews  the 
fronds  it  makes  dense,  roseate  clusters,  refreshingly  green, 
and  very  attractive  to  the  eye." 

The  fronds  are  simple,  pinnate;  the  pinnules  wedge- 
shaped,  and  crenate  at  the  margin.  The  fibrous  roots  are 
so  firmly  imbedded  in  the  soil  of  the  crevices  and  inter- 
stices of  the  rocks  that  it  is  difficult  to  secure  good  speci- 
mens. 

Mr.  Redfield  refers  this  plant  to  his  Cosmopolitan  divi- 
sion. It  is  a  little  beauty,  and  a  great  favorite  among  fern 
fanciers.  It  dries  well,  and  its  delicate  fronds  are  very 
suitable  for  decorative  purposes.  It  is  easily  cultivated, 
especially  in  the  Wardian  case. 

The  Plate  represents  the  plant  of  the  natural  size,  but 
specimens  six  inches  in  length  have  often  been  found. 


%^^-  /^.   ^ 


■V 


PT.  xvn 

ASPLENIUM    EBENEUM,    AiT. 

Ebony   Spleenwort. 


Genera  and  species.  63 

Plate  XVII. 
ASPLENIUM   EBENEUM.     Alton. 

Ebony  Spleenwort. 

The  Ebony  Spleenwort  has  some  resemblance  to  A.  Tri- 
chomanes,  especially  when  the  fronds  are  young;  but  the 
species  is  well  marked.  It  is  pinnate,  lance-linear  in  form, 
often  eighteen  inches  in  height,  with  pinnae  over  an  inch 
in  length,  the  upper  side  triangular-lobed  or  somewhat  half- 
halbert  shaped.  The  fern  varies  very  much  both  in  size 
and  general  appearance.  The  etching  aims  to  show  several 
different  kinds  of  fronds,  the  youngest,  the  more  advanced, 
and  the  oldest,  the  latter  with  well-marked  fruit -dots. 
The  mature  fronds  are  generally  more  contracted  than 
those  of  a  younger  growth. 

The  A.  ebeneum  is  very  common  in  all  our  Kentucky 
woods,  especially  on  out  -  cropping  rocks,  and  about  the 
roots  of  beech-trees.  It  is  found  particularly  on  argilla- 
ceous hillsides  (Riddell),  preferring  rich  rocky  woods,  and 
common  where  there  are  no  rocks  on  the  surface  (Hussey). 
It  is  so  frequently  met  with  that  it  is  needless  to  give  local- 
ities. It  is  very  suitable  for  cultivation,  either  on  rock- 
work  or  in  the  Wardian  case. 


vlv 


PI.  XVTII 
ASPl.ENIUM    MONTANUM,  Willd. 

Mountain  Spleenwort. 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  6$ 

Plate  XVIII. 
ASPLENIUM    MONTANUM.     Willd. 

Mountain  Spleenwort. 

The  Mountain  Spleenwort  has  the  same  habitat  as  the 
Maiden -hair  Spleenwort  and  the  Pinnatifid  Spleenwort, 
and  is  usually  found  associated  with  them.  It  is  quite 
common  in  Kentucky,  especially  in  the  mountain  regions, 
though  my  best  specimens  were  obtained  at  Big  Clifty,  Gray- 
son County.  A  single  plant  had  more  than  fifty  fronds, 
each  six  or  seven  inches  long;  and  Prof.  Hussey,  formerly 
of  the  Kentucky  Geological  Survey,  has  specimens  in  his 
collection  over  ten  inches  in  length.  Specimens  are  fre- 
quently found  with  the  fronds  bifurcating  toward  the  apex, 
but  only  in  thrifty  plants.  The  roots  are  fibrous,  penetra- 
ting the  crevices  of  the  rocks,  as  those  of  the  A.  Tricho- 
manes. 

The  Plate  represents  a  plant  of  average  size,  the  tallest 
frond  to  the  right  showing  a  slight  attempt  at  bifurcation. 

6 


\jj 


PI   XIX 
ASPLENIUM     RUTA-  MURARIA,  L 

Wall -Rue  Spleenwort. 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  6/ 

Plate  XIX. 
ASPLENIUM   RUTA-MURARIA.     Linn^us. 

Wall-rue  Spleenwort. 

This  species,  named  from  its  resemblance  to  the  common 
garden  Rue,  is  the  smallest  of  the  Aspleniums  in  this  coun- 
try, the  average  size  being  scarcely  three  inches  in  height. 
In  sheltered  locations  it  sometimes  approaches  five  inches. 
It  is  generally  found  on  exposed  limestone  rocks,  selecting 
for  its  habitat  the  smallest  holes  and  chinks  to  be  found. 
It  is  much  more  difficult  to  get  it  out  of  its  hiding  place 
than  any  fern  yet  described.  It  is  very  hardy,  remaining 
green  all  winter,  even  in  exposed  situations.  It  is  very 
rare -in  Kentucky.  Dr.  Short  found  it  on  the  cliffs  of 
Kentucky  River.  I  have  found  it  at  Rock  Springs,  Old- 
ham County. 

This  little  fern  is  not  a  very  attractive-looking  plant,  and 
is  very  apt  to  be  ignored  by  ordinary  fern-gatherers.  In 
Europe  it  is  widely  distributed,  generally  growing  on  old 
bridges,  or  on  the  ruins  of  old  abbeys  and  casdes. 

The  fronds  are  bi-pinnate;  the  pinnae  wedge-shaped, 
often  toothed  at  the  apex.  In  the  fully-developed  plant 
the  fruit-dots  are  so  close  together  that  they  generally  form 
an  elongated  brown  patch. 


\l/ 


PI    XX. 

ASPLENIUM   ANGUSriFOLIUM,     MiCHx. 

Narrow  Leaved  ^\i\tf(\'NQA ,  [Sterile Frond } 


PI  XXI. 
y/  ASPLENIUM    ANGUST-IFOLIUM,  MiCHX 

Narrow    Leaved  Spleenwo'rt ,  f/V/$^/>^/^</ 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  69 

Plates  XX  and  XXI. 
ASPLENIUM  ANGUSTIFOLIUM.     Michx. 

Narrow-leaved  Spleenwort. 

This  fern  differs  from  any  of  the  Aspleniums  yet  de- 
scribed, both  in  general  appearance  and  habitat.  It  loves 
the  damp,  rich  soil  of  deeply  shaded  woods,  and  has  for  its 
companions  the  true  Maiden-hair  Fern,  the  Beech  Fern, 
and  the  Lady  Fern.  It  is  a  tall  and  graceful  plant,  often 
growing  four  feet  in  height.  It  has  two  kinds  of  fronds, 
the  sterile  and  fertile.  The  sterile  frond  (Plate  XX)  is 
pinnate  with  lanceolate  pinnae,  broad  at  the  base.  It  is 
very  soft  and  delicate,  and  when  fully  grown  is  about  two 
feet  high.  The  fertile  frond  (Plate  XXI)  comes  up  much 
later,  and  is  also  pinnate,  the  pinnae  contracted  and  narrow, 
the  upper  side  being  somewhat  ribbed,  and  the  lower  pro- 
fusely covered  with  fruit-patches  arranged  in  pairs  on  each 
side  of  the  mid-vein.  The  frond  is  tall  and  linear,  having 
the  appearance  of  a  willow  wand.  The  two  illustrations 
show  the  fronds  cut  off  near  the  point,  and  are  sufficient 
to  enable  the  young  student  to  determine  the  plant. 

The  Narrow -leaved  Spleenwort  is  a  very  tender  fern, 
nipped  by  the  first  frosts.  In  July  and  August  it  is  most 
luxuriant;  accordingly,  it  is  sometimes  called  the  Summer 
Fern.  It  is  very  common  in  all  our  damp,  rich  woods.  It 
grows  quite  readily  on  sheltered  mounds  with  plenty  of 
rich  soil. 


m  '.. 


■'^ 


fyij^-'  ^ 


\jv 


'  .^ 


i'i  xxn 

ASPLENIUM    THELYPTEROIDES,  Michx. 

.Marsh  Spleenwort. 


'jifililv^^ 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  /I 

Plate  XXII. 
ASPLENIUM   THELYPTEROIDES.     Michx. 

This  fern  is  also  tall  and  graceful,  with  the  same  habitat 
as  the  A.  angustifolium,  and  is  often  found  along  with  it. 
The  fronds  are  pinnate,  the  pinnae  deeply  pinnatifid.  The 
fruit-patches  are  arranged  on  the  back  of  all  the  fronds,  in 
pairs,  on  each  side  of  the  mid-vein.  It  is,  likewise,  very 
tender,  though  apparently  more  hardy  than  the  Narrow- 
leaved  Spleenwort.  However,  it  dies  early  in  autumn.  It 
is  very  common  in  all  our  rich  woods,  on  the  shady  banks 
of  streams,  and  loves  plenty  of  moisture.  It  can  be  easily 
cultivated  if  placed  in  the  proper  soil. 

This  stately  fern  presents  a  very  striking  and  elegant  ap- 
pearance as  it  unfolds  its  large,  downy  fronds,  and,  in  strong 
contrast  with  some  of  the  diminutive  forilis  of  this  genus, 
develops  into  a  plant  of  graceful  beauty.  Figure  2,  show- 
ing the  uncurling  of  the  frond,  was  sketched  from  the  liv- 
ing plant.  I  have  tried  to  represent  the  succession  of  the 
leaflets  still  folded  up  in  the  head.  Though  it  appears  to 
be  hardy,  its  texture  is  quite  soft  and  delicate.  It  grows 
well  in  shaded  mounds,  but  is  too  large  for  the  ordinary 
Wardian  case. 


PI.XXIJl 
ASPLENHJM     mix-    rCEMlNA,   Bernh 


Lady 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  73 

Plate    XXIII. 
ASPLENIUM   FILIX-FCBMINA.     Bernh. 

Lady  Fern. 

Some  authors  do  not  consider  the  Lady  Fern  as  a  true 
Asplenium,  since  the  fruit-dots,  instead  of  being  linear,  are 
half- moon  shaped.  It  is  the  Athyrium  of  some,  and  by 
others  it  is  referred  to  the  genus  Aspidium.  The  draw- 
ing is  from  a  young  frond,  and  represents  the  pinnae 
rather  wide  apart;  but  it  would  require  a  much  larger 
plate  to  show  this  lovely  plant  as  it  really  appears.  It 
is  very  graceful  in  outline,  and  possesses  an  exceedingly 
delicate  green  tint.  The  Lady  Fern  is  by  no  means  un- 
common in  Kentucky,  having  been  collected  by  myself  in 
many  localities,  and  by  Dr.  Short  on  the  low  grounds  along 
the  Red  River,  and  at  Crab  Orchard,  Lincoln  County. 

This  is  the  favorite  fern  of  the  poets.  Sir  Walter  Scott 
thus  alludes  to  it: 

"Where  the  copse-wood  is  the  greenest, 
Where  the  fountain  glistens  sheenest, 
Where  the  morning  dew  lies  longest, 
There  the  Lady  Fern  grows  strongest." 

The  following  description  of  this  graceful  fern,  which 
applies  as  well  to  the  species  in  this  country,  is  taken  from 
Moore's  "Popular  British  Ferns:" 

"The  Lady  Fern  claims  precedence  over  every  other 
British  species  on  account  of  the  exquisite  grace  of  its 
habit  of  growth,  the  elegance  of  its  form,  and  the  deli- 
cacy of  its  hue.  The  habit  of  the  plant  is  tufted,  the  cau- 
dex  of  the  larger  varieties  often  with  age  acquiring  some 
height,  and  elevating  the  circle  of  fronds  on  a  low,  rude 
pedestal;  this  stem,  however,  never  acquires  more  than  a 

7 


74  FERNS    OF    KENTUCKY. 

few  inches  in  length.  In  winter  the  summit  of  this  stem 
is  occupied  by  a  mass  of  incipient  fronds,  each  rolled  up 
separately  and  nestling  in  a  bed  of  chaffy  scales.  In  May 
or  June  these  fronds  become  developed,  a  score  or  upward 
being  usually  produced.  They  reach  maturity  early  in 
summer,  during  which  time  a  few  additional  fronds  are 
generally  developed  from  the  center.  The  form  of  the 
frond  is  lanceolate,  more  or  less  broad;  and  they  are  sup- 
ported on  stipeles,  which  are  scaly  at  the  base,  and  usually 
about  a  third  of  the  entire  length  of  the  fronds.  The  divi- 
sion of  the  fronds  is  bi-pinnate,  pinnae  lanceolate,  drawn 
out  at  the  point,  the  pinnules  more  or  less  lobed  or  pin- 
natifid.  The  delicate  texture  of  the  frond  renders  the 
venation  very  distinct."* 

This  fern  is  very  common  in  Kentucky.  I  have  found 
the  best  specimens  in  Bullitt  County,  in  deep  ravines,  at 
the  base  of  the  knobs.  It  is  apt  to  vary  considerably, 
sometimes  bifurcating  at  the  apex  of  the  frond,  and  some- 
times with  a  dark,  almost  purple  stem,  and  is  generally 
showy.  Young  collectors  are  inclined  to  confound  this 
plant  with  other  species,  but  the  slightly  -  curved  fruit- 
patches  will  readily  distinguish  it. 

*  Moore's  History  of  British  Ferns,  3d  ed.,  p.  123. 


\ 


)  <•,' 


."Sr- 


N^ 


,^;:r*  -v^.. 


PI  :<xiv 

CAMPTOSORUS,   Link 


GENERA   AND   SPECIES.  75 

Plate  XXIV. 

CAMPTOSORUS.     Link. 

Gen.  Char. — Fruit-dots  oblong  or  linear,  single  or  in  pairs, 
irregularly  scattered ;  indusium  attached  by  one  side  to  the  lateral 
veins;  veins  reticulated. 

This  is  a  very  small  genus  of  the  group  Aspleniese,  con- 
sisting only  of  two  species — one  found  but  rarely  in  Sibe- 
ria, the  other  in  the  United  States.  The  Siberian  species, 
as  well  as  that  indigenous  to  this  country,  has  the  pecu- 
liarity of  rooting  at  the  apex,  as  shown  in  Plate  XXV. 
The  fruit -patches  are  oblong  or  linear;  the  veins  reticu- 
lated, not  free,  as  in  most  ferns.  The  sori  are  covered 
with  a  linear  indusium,  usually  connivent  or  joined  together 
in  irregular  unequal  pairs,  but  sometimes  scattered  over  the 
surface  on  account  of  the  irregularity  of  the  venation. 

The  illustration  shows  part  of  the  lower  half  of  a  frond, 
magnified  several  times,  and  also  represents  the  sporange, 
with  two  spores  highly  magnified.  All  the  figures  given 
in  the  Plate  are  from  Hooker  and  Bauer.  The  irregular 
arrangement  of  the  sori  and  the  peculiar  character  of  the 
veins  are  brought  out  prominently,  as  these  are  significant 
points. 


v|v 


PI.  xxy 

CAMPTOSORUS,   R  H  IZOPH  YLLUS,    Link 

Walking  Leaf -Fern. 


GENERA   AND   SPECIES.  77 

Plate  XXV. 
CAMPTOSORUS  RHIZOPHYLLUS.     Link. 

Walking-leaf  Fern. 

The  first  impression  of  the  amateur  botanist  on  seeing 
this  plant  would  scarcely  lead  him  to  believe  that  it  is  a 
fern  at  all.  It  does  not  have  the  appearance  of  a  fern; 
but  an  examination  of  the  fruit-patches  and  other  peculiar 
features  of  the  fern  tribe  will  soon  set  him  right.  The 
veins  of  the  leaf  are  somewhat  different  from  most  ferns, 
but  still  retain  their  general  characteristics.  It  has  a  simple 
frond,  auricled  at  the  base.  The  auricles  are  sometimes 
quite  long.  The  frond  possesses  the  peculiarity  of  rooting 
at  the  apex.  Tapering  into  a  long,  narrow  prolongation, 
it  bends  down  among  the  mosses,  and  very  often  takes  root. 
Two  and  three  generations  are  often  found  springing  from 
the  parent  plant.  The  Asplenium  pinnatifidum  has  some- 
times a  slender  prolongation,  and  has  even  been  reported 
as  rooting  at  the  point;  but  this  peculiar  mode  of  growth 
in  the  Asplenium  lacks  verification.  The  Walking -leaf 
bears  some  resemblance  to  the  Hart -tongue  Fern  {Scolo- 
pendriurn),  but  the  leaves  of  the  latter  have  free  veins,  and 
are  blunt  at  their  apices.  The  Walking -leaf  Fern  is  an 
evergreen,  and  the  best  specimens  are  often  collected  in 
the  winter.  It  is  found  in  all  our  Kentucky  woods  where- 
ever  there  are  detached,  moss-covered  bowlders,  on  out- 
cropping rocks  and  cliffs,  either  limestone  or  sandstone. 
It  has  about  the  same  habitat  as  the  Asplenium  ebeneum. 

This  plant  is  well  named  on  account  of  its  singular  mode 
of  attachment  to  the  soil.  It  is  of  easy  cultivation,  either 
in  mounds  or  in  the  Wardian  case,  and  is  especially  suit- 
able for  rock-work. 


.%=  s 


:^H'^  fi 


"^^■"j^-^— ^--"-^-^^X 


xT"^  1*  />. 


^' 


PLXXVI 
PHEGOPTERIS  ,  Fee. 


GENERA   AND    SPECIES.  79 

Plate  XXVI. 

PHEGOPTERIS.     F^e. 

Gen.  Char. — Fruit-dots  naked  on  the  back  of  the  veins  near  the 
apex;  stipe  continuous  with  the  root -stock,  not  articulated  with  it; 
fronds  ternate  or  twice  pinnatifid. 

This  genus  has  given  rise  to  much  discussion  among 
pteriologists,  or  fern  specialists.  Formerly  it  was  included 
in  the  tribe  Polypodies,  and  was  considered  a  true  Poly- 
pody, including  the  P.  hexagonopterum  of  Michaux,  which 
bid  fair  to  be  one  of  the  very  few  ferns  found  by  that  en- 
terprising naturalist,  whose  name  should  survive  the  con- 
stant changes  of  the  nomenclature.  The  fruit-dots  were 
destitute  of  indusia,  as  in  the  Polypodium ;  but  the  general 
appearance  of  the  plant,  the  character  of  the  veins,  and 
the  position  of  the  sori  were  quite  different  from  the  latter. 
Prof.  Sachs  places  this  genus  in  the  tribe  Aspidieae,  where 
it  would  seem  to  properly  belong.  Prof.  D.  C.  Eaton,  in 
the  last  edition  of  Gray's  Manual,  has  also  included  this 
genus  in  the  tribe  Aspidieae.  In  a  letter  to  the  author  this 
distinguished  pteriologist  remarks :  "  Phegopteris  is  capable 
of  being  defined  in  nearly  the  same  words  as  Polypodium, 
but  it  really  has  nothing  to  do  with  it.  But  it  is  so  closely 
connected  with  Aspidium  that  there  is  hardly  any  clear 
distinction  between  the  two.  The  mode  of  growth  from 
the  root-stock  is  precisely  the  same;  the  position  of  the 
fruit-dots  on  the  back  of  the  vein,  not  at  the  tip  or  on  the 
point  of  union  of  several  veins,  is  the  same  in  both;  and 
the  general  shape  and  branching  of  the  fronds  are  very  much 
alike  in  the  two.  As  to  the  presence  or  absence  of  indu- 
sium,  the  fact  is  that  many  species  have  been  said  by  some 
authors  to  have  no  indusium,  and  other  authors  will  find 


80  FERNS    OF    KENTUCKY. 

indusia  after  all.  Then,  in  many  Aspidiums  the  indusium 
is  so  small  and  delicate  that  it  is  hard  to  find  even  on 
living  plants.  On  the  whole,  there  is  an  unmistakable 
passage  from  Phegopteris  into  Aspidium.  Some  German 
writers  even  insist  that  the  two  are  but  one  natural  genus." 
Figure  i  represents  a  pinnule  slightly  magnified;  figure 
2,  a  lobe  greatly  magnified,  showing  the  situation  of  the 
sporangia  and  the  structure  of  the  tissue. 


^''H^ti 


xyfy 


PI.  YXVII. 
PHEGOPTERIS    POLYPODlOiDES,  F'ETF 

Common   Beech    Fern. 


GENERA    AND   SPECIES.  8 1 

Plate  XXVII. 
PHEGOPTERIS    POLYPODIOIDES.      Pee. 

Beech    Fern. 

The  Beech  Fern  is  the  most  easily  recognized  of  all  our 
common  ferns.  The  root-stock  is  a  slender,  creeping  stem, 
sending  up,  in  early  summer,  a  frond  about  eighteen  inches 
in  length,  including  the  stipes.  The  frond  is  triangular  in 
outline,  and  longer  than  broad,  with  the  two  lower  pinnae 
reflexed  and  pointing  forward.  It  has  a  somewhat  chaffy 
and  downy  stalk.  It  grows  luxuriantly  in  all  our  damp, 
rich  woods,  its  root-stocks  trailing  under  the  moss,  as  in  the 
Common  Polypody,  or  penetrating  the  leaf-  mold  to  the 
depth  of  a  few  inches.  The  fern  is  difficult  to  lift,  particu- 
larly for  transplanting,  since  the  stems  are  brittle  and  easily 
broken;  but  by  taking  care  to  get  plenty  of  soil,  the  plant 
may  be  moved,  and  when  once  settled  in  its  new  home 
it  grows  exceedingly  well.  It  is  readily  dried,  the  fronds 
being  very  thin,  and,  if  carefully  preserved,  they  make 
very  handsome  specimens,  either  for  the  herbarium  or  for 
decorative  purposes. 

The  Beech  Fern  is  the  Polypodium  Phegopteris  of  Lin- 
naeus, and  of  the  older  botanists;  but  the  reason  of  its 
removal  to  a  new  genus  will  be  apparent  from  the  generic 
description.  The  plant  in  the  illustration  is  of  natural 
size,  though  often  found  much  larger.  A  root -stock  of 
Polypodium  is  given  in  Plate  V,  showing  the  characteristic 
difference  between  that  genus  and  Phegopteris,  where  it 
will  be  observed  that  the  stipe  is  articulated  with  the  root- 
stock,  and  not  continuous  with  it,  as  in  the  species  belong- 
ing to  the  genus  under  consideration. 


82  FERNS    OF    KENTUCKY. 

In  many  respects  this  fern  resembles  so  closely  the 
other  species  found  in  Kentucky,  that  it  may  be  even 
questionable  whether  they  are  really  distinct.  The  rich 
soil  of  this  region,  together  with  climatic  influences,  may 
serve  to  produce  a  larger  and  stronger  form  in  the  P. 
hexagonoptera.  There  seems  to  be,  however,  this  dis- 
tinction—  the  divisions  of  the  lower  pinnae  in  the  latter 
are  elongated  and  pinnately  lobed,  while  in  the  P.  poly- 
podioides  they  are  oblong,  obtuse,  and  entire.  I  have 
represented  the  two  species  as  accurately  as  possible; 
and  the  attention  of  students  is  called  to  this  similarity 
in  the  two  forms  in  the  hope  that  careful  observations 
in  future  may  settle  the  question  beyond  a  doubt. 


i\ 


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PI  xxvni 

PHEGOPTERIS    H  EXAGONO PTERA ,  Fee 


GENERA   AND    SPECIES.  83 

Plate  XXVIII. 
PHEGOPTERIS   HEXAGONOPTERA.     Fee. 

The  general  appearance  of  this  fern  is  very  similar  to 
the  one  last  described,  except  that  the  triangular  frond  is 
broader  than  long,  the  two  lower  pinns  at  right  angles  to 
the  rachis,  but  not  reflexed  as  in  P.  polypodioides.  The 
main  rachis  is  irregularly  winged,  as  shown  in  the  Plate. 
When  fully  grown  the  fronds  are  from  seven  to  twelve 
inches  broad.  Is  quite  common  in  our  Kentucky  woods, 
and  is  often  met  with  more  frequently  than  the  other  spe- 
cies. Its  general  habitat  is  doubtless  more  southward,  but 
it  loves  the  same  rich,  open  woods,  and  possesses  all  the 
characteristics  of  the  Beech  Fern. 

This  is  the  Polypodium  hexagonopterum  of  Michaux 
and  Willdenow;*  and,  in  the  earlier  editions  of  Gray's 
Manual,  it  was  included  among  the  true  Polypodys.  It 
furnishes  a  beautiful  object  for  the  microscope.  It  is  easily 
decolorized;  and,  the  tissue  of  the  leaf  being  very  thin,  its 
reticulated  structure  is  readily  seen.  Plate  XXVI,  figure 
2  shows  a  small  portion  of  the  frond  of  this  fern  highly 
magnified,  bringing  out  the  fine,  glandular  hairs,  with  the 
sorus  situated  upon  the  back  of  the  vein.  It  is  a  very 
good  object  for  double-staining — a  process  well  known  to 
microscopists. 

*See  Willd.  Sp.  PI.  V,  p.  200,  and  Michx.  Flor.  Bor.  Am.  II,  p.  271. 


V.   J 


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P]   XXIX 
ASPIDIUM,     Swart/. 

Shield-Fern. 


GENERA   AND   SPECIES.  85 

Plate  XXIX. 
ASPIDIUM.      Swartz. 

S  H  I  E  LD    Fern. 

Gen.  Char. — Fruit-dots  roundish,  scattered  on  the  back  of  the 
frond ;  indusium  attached  above  the  sori,  round  or  kidney-shaped ; 
veins  free,  simple,  or  forked ;  stipes  not  articulated  with  the  root- 
stock. 

Aspidium  is  one  of  the  largest  genera  of  ferns,  and  is  the 
typical  genus  of  the  tribe  Aspidice.  Eighteen  species  are 
given  by  Mr.  Redfield  in  his  "  Geographical  Distribution 
of  the  Ferns  of  North  America,"  without  including  the 
six  varieties  enumerated  by  John  Robinson  in  his  excellent 
"Check  List  of  the  Ferns  of  North  America,  north  of 
Mexico."  Of  these  seven  are  indigenous  to  Kentucky, 
so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  discover,  though  it  is  quite 
possible  that  the  number  may  be  increased. 

The  form  of  the  fruit-dots  and  their  covering  (indusium) 
is  the  principal  characteristic  of  this  genus.  The  indusium 
is  flat,  round,  or  somewhat  kidney -shaped,  resembling  a 
shield,  whence  the  name  of  Shield  Fern  (Plate  XXIX,  fig- 
ure 2).  This  shield,  in  some  species,  is  quite  orbicular, 
and  fixed  at  the  center.  Figure  3  shows  a  number  of  spo- 
rangia; some  bursting  their  elastic  rings.  Most  of  the 
members  of  the  genus  are  strong-growing,  pinnate  ferns. 
The  Plate  represents  the  Aspidium  marginale,  a  very  com- 
mon, but  tall  and  beautiful  plant. 


Pi  XXX 
ASPlDiUM   THrLYPTERIS,  SwARTZ 

Marsh  Shield -Fern 


GENERA   AND   SPECIES.  8/ 

Plate  XXX. 
ASPIDIUM    THELYPTERIS.     Swartz. 

Marsh  Shield  Fern. 

The  usual  habitat  of  this  fern  is  in  swamps  and  boggy 
marshes,  choosing  for  its  companions  the  Sensitive  Fern, 
the  Osmundas,  and  the  cryptogamic  and  flowering  plants 
peculiar  to  marshy  ground,  such  as  the  Sagittaria,  Lizard's 
Tail,  Cat-tail  Flag,  Equisetum,  etc.  The  plant  has  a  beau- 
tiful fresh  green  color,  the  dark  green  of  the  upper  side  of 
the  fronds  contrasting  very  strongly  with  the  light  green 
of  the  back,  occasioned  by  the  profusion  of  light-colored 
fruit-patches.  It  comes  to  maturity  about  the  latter  part 
of  July  or  the  first  of  August.  The  frond  is  pinnate -lan- 
ceolate, pinnae  deeply  pinnatifid;  the  margins  of  the  lobes 
are  revolute. 

It  is  not  very  common  in  Kentucky.  The  best  speci- 
mens I  have  obtained  were  from  a  marsh  near  Prospect, 
on  the  Narrow  Gauge  Railroad,  about  ten  miles  from 
Louisville.  The -Plate  represents  a  piece  of  a  frond  natural 
size. 


v^ 


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PI.    XXXI 
ASPIDIUM  NOVEBORACENSE,  Sv/ARTz 

NewYork  Shield  Fern 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  89 

Plate  XXXI. 
ASPIDIUM   NOVEBORACENSE.     Swartz. 

New  York  Shield  Fern. 

This  fern  is  even  more  delicate  than  the  A.  thelypteris. 
The  length  of  the  frond  from  the  root-stock  averages  about 
fifteen  inches.  It  is  pinnate,  lanceolate  in  outline,  but 
tapering  both  ways  from  a  point  a  little  below  the  middle. 
The  pinnte  are  lanceolate,  tapering  to  a  point;  the  lobes 
of  the  pinnae  less  blunt  than  those  of  the  Marsh  Shield 
Fern.  The  color  of  the  fronds  is  a  pale  green,  and  is  the 
same  on  both  sides.  The  indusium  is  very  minute,  and, 
except  in  young  plants  is  not  easily  seen.  It  is  not  very 
common  in  Kentucky,  but  grows  luxuriantly  about  Living- 
ston, Rockcastle  County. 

It  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  ferns  which  I  have  at- 
tempted to  draw,  on  account  of  its  similarity  to  the  Marsh 
Shield  Fern,  just  described.  The  outline  of  the  two  ferns, 
especially  that  of  the  pinnae  and  lobes,  is  exactly  alike  in 
both.  In  the  illustration  I  have  tried  to  give  the  whole 
plant,  showing  how  the  pinnae  taper  toward  the  base.  The 
greatest  difference,  however,  between  the  two  ferns  lies  in 
the  character  and  arrangement  of  the  fruit-dots,  and  in  the 
texture  of  the  tissue  of  the  fronds.  The  New  York  Shield 
Fern  is  very  delicate  and  tender;  indeed  almost  transpar- 
ent, with  the  fruit-dots  near  the  margin  of  the  pinnule,  in 
separate  round  patches;  the  Marsh  Shield  Fern  is  rather 
coarse  looking,  with  a  great  profusion  of  sori  situated  in 
close,  round  patches,  forming,  when  ripe,  a  continuous 
line.  The  margin  of  the  pinnule  is  slightly  reflexed,  not 
forming,  however,  an  indusium,  as  in  Pteris  and  Pellaea,  but 
is  simply  recurved. 


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ASPIDIUM    SPINULOSUM.VAR.  INTERMEDIUM  WILLD. 

spiny    Shield-  Fern. 


GENERA   AND   SPECIES.  9 1 

Plate  XXXII. 
ft.SPIDIUM   SPINULOSUM.     V.  Intermedium.    Willd. 

Spring  Shield  Fern. 

Of  the  three  varieties  of  A.  spinulosum,  this  is  the  only 
/one  which  I  have  found  in  Kentucky.  It  is  the  A.  interme- 
dium of  Willdenow,  not  of  Muhlenberg,  the  fern  described 
by  the  latter  being  the  A.  spinulosum,  which  I  have  not  been 
able  to  find  in  this  State,  though  Riddell  attributes  it  to  the 
low,  damp  forests  of  Central  and  Northeastern  Ohio.*  The 
variety  intermedium,  however,  is  by  no  means  uncommon 
in  Kentucky,  though  I  have  seldom  found  it  in  Jefferson, 
Oldham,  or  Bullitt  counties;  but  it  grows  in  the  greatest 
perfection  at  Big  Clifty,  Grayson  County,  as  well  as  in 
Laurel,  Rockcastle,  Edmonson  and  Hardin  counties. 

It  is  a  very  graceful  fern,  which  collectors  may  readily 
mistake  for  the  Lady  Fern,  but  the  round  fruit-dots,  the 
minute  spiny  teeth  of  the  lobes,  and  the  coarseness  of  its 
general  appearance  will  serve  to  distinguish  it  from  the 

®See  Synopsis  of  the  Flora  of  the  Western  States,  by  John  L. 
Riddell,  A.  M.,  Cincinnati,  1835,  p.  106;  also  Supplementary  Cata- 
logue of  Ohio  Plants,  Cincinnati,  1836,  p.  21.  It  is  difficult  to  deter- 
mine with  certainty,  from  his  descriptions,  whether  the  latter  of  the 
two  ferns  described  by  Riddell  is  identical  with  our  var.  interme- 
dium, Willdenow  (Eaton  ?) ;  but  the  forms  are  so  variable  that  it 
may  be  questionable  whether  the  A.  spinulosum  should  be  digni- 
fied with  any  varieties  whatever,  the  Swartzian  species  being  suffi- 
ciently comprehensive  to  include  all  its  variations.  From  a  careful 
comparison  of  the  Kentucky  specimens,  which  seem  to  belong  to 
the  var.  intermedium,  with  Hooker's  typical  A.  spinulosum,  kindly 
sent  me  by  Mr.  Davenport,  I  am  convinced  that  the  differentiation 
is  so  variable,  the  forms  passing  so  imperceptibly  into  each  other, 
that  no  particular  type  can  be  said  to  be  wholly  persistent.  On  this 
point  see  Hooker  and  Arnott's  British  Flora,  p.  570,  note. 


92  FERNS    OF    KENTUCKY. 

latter.  With  their  finely -dissected  lobes  the  fronds  are 
exceedingly  elegant,  and  render  it  specially  desirable  for 
interior  decoration.  They  are  about  two  feet  and  a  half 
high,  oblong -ovate,  twice  pinnate,  with  pinnatifid  pinnules. 
The  lobes  are  furnished  with  very  small  spinous  teeth, 
which  are  much  more  marked  in  some  plants  than  in 
others.  The  base  of  the  stipe  is  covered  with  a  number 
of  large,  membranaceous,  dark  brown  scales. 

The  Plate  represents  a  small  frond  of  full  size;  the  spiny 
tooth  is  scarcely  definite  enough. 


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PI   XXXUI, 
ASPIDMJM   CRiSTATUM,  Swartz 
Crested  Shield  Fern,. 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  93 

Plate  XXXIII. 
ASPIDIUM   CRISTATUM.     Swartz. 

Crested  Shield  Fern. 

This  is  a  tall  fern  with  somewhat  linear  or  lanceolate 
fronds,  often  two  and  a  half  feet  high,  pinnate,  with  slighdy 
stalked  pinnae,  triangular-ovate,  and  deeply  pinnatifid,  the 
lobes  serrate  or  finely  toothed.  The  short  triangular  pinnae 
and  the  well  defined  fruit-dots,  arranged  in  two  rows  on 
the  lobes,  distinguish  it  at  once  from  all  other  Shield  Ferns. 
Hooker  remarks  that  its  outline  is  quite  distinct  from  that 
of  the  A.  spinulosum,  in  being  narrowed  below.  It  seems 
to  be  rare,  even  in  Europe,  where  it  is  found  on  boggy 
heaths. 

Riddell  has  stated  that  it  is  common  in  Central  Ohio, 
without  attributing  it  to  Kentucky,  from  which  it  may  be  in- 
ferred that  Dr.  Short  had  not  found  it  in  this  State ;  indeed, 
the  latter  makes  no  mention  of  it  in  any  of  his  published  cat- 
alogues of  Kentucky  plants.  From  my  own  experience  in 
collecting,  I  should  consider  it  much  less  common  than  the 
other  Shield  Ferns  which  I  have  described.  I  have  never 
met  with  it,  but  it  will  doubtless  be  found  in  swampy  local- 
ities in  the  mountain  counties.  It  was  found  by  Miss  Rule 
near  Rockcastle  Springs,  Laurel  County ;  *  but  Prof.  Hussey, 
who  botanized  very  thoroughly  over  Edmonson  and  ad- 
joining counties,  was  not  able  to  discover  it  in  that  region. 

The  Plate  shows  a  small  frond  natural  size. 

*  See  Bot.  Gazette,  vol.  ii.  p.  62. 


Pl.XXXIY 

ASPiDiuM  COLOiANUM,  Hook. 
Goldie's  Shield  -Fern. 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  95 

Plate  XXXIV. 
ASPIDIUM   GOLDIANUM.     Hook. 

Goldie's  Shield  Fern. 

This  is  the  largest  and  handsomest  of  all  the  Shield  Ferns 
in  this  country,  being  frequently  more  than  three  feet  in 
height,  with  broadly  ovate  pinnate  fronds;  the  pinnae  alter- 
nate, stalked,  oblong  -  lanceolate,  with  lobes  deeply  cut, 
wavy,  crenate.  The  pinnae  at  the  broadest  part  of  the 
frond  are  about  six  and  a  half  inches  long  and  one  and 
a  half  inches  wide.  The  somewhat  scythe-shaped  lobes 
bear  about  eight  pairs  of  fruit-dots,  which  are  very  distinct 
and  well  defined,  and  furnish  beautiful  examples  of  the 
characteristic  fruit-dots  of  the  genus. 

Although  it  may  be  considered  a  somewhat  rare  fern  in 
the  less  elevated  portions  of  the  State,  it  is  not  uncommon 
among  the  mountains,  where  altitude  makes  amends  for  the 
lack  of  a  higher  latitude,  more  suitable  to  its  growth.  I 
have  found  it  in  great  abundance  near  the  Little  Rockcastle 
River,  in  Laurel  County. 

The  illustration  gives  a  few  of  the  pinnae,  natural  size; 
it  conveys,  however,  at  best  but  a  very  imperfect  idea  of 
this  splendid  fern. 


■  ■•n.- 


^ 


PI.  XXXV. 
AS-PiDIUM   MARGINALE,SWART7.„ 

Marginal  Shield-rern 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  97 

Plate  XXXV. 
ASPIDIUM   MARGINALE.      Swartz. 

Marginal  Shield  Fern. 

This  is  a  beautiful  fern,  and  serves  better  than  any  other 
to  show  the  true  characters  of  the  genus.  The  fronds  are 
about  two  feet  long,  pinnate,  ovate-oblong;  the  pinnae  lan- 
ceolate, slightly  curved  toward  the  apex.  The  fruit-dots 
are  readily  observed  by  means  of  a  pocket  lens.  They 
are  placed  near  the  margin  of  the  pinnule,  and  are  beau- 
tiful objects  for  close  examination  with  the  microscope. 
The  plant  is  evergreen,  rather  coarse  in  texture,  the  upper 
side  of  the  frond  dark  green,  the  under  a  very  pale  green. 
It  is  not  a  common  fern  in  Kentucky,  though  it  is  very 
abundant  in  Rockcastle  County,  and  doubtless  in  other 
mountain  counties  of  the  State. 

On  account  of  its  large  size  it  can  only  be  readily  culti- 
vated in  the  open  air,  and  not  in  the  Wardian  case.  The 
Plate  is  too  small  to  give  any  thing  more  than  a  general 
idea  of  this  elegant  representative  of  the  fern  tribe. 


■^«i^ 


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PI   XXXVI, 

ASPIDIUM    ACROSTlCHOiDES,  Swarfz 

Christmas    Shield-Fern  . 


GENERA   AND   SPECIES.  99 

Plate  XXXVI. 
ASPIDIUM  ACROSTICHOIDES.     Swartz. 

Winter  Fern — Christmas  Fern. 

This  is  undoubtedly  the  most  commonly  met  with  of  all 
the  Shield  Ferns.  In  fact  it  is  the  best  known  of  our  native 
ferns,  growing  every  where  without  any  special  habitat. 
The  best  specimens  have  usually  been  obtained,  however, 
along  the  banks  of  streams.  It  is  found  as  well  in  ex- 
posed situations  upon  high  rocks,  as  in  ravines  or  deeply- 
shaded  woods. 

The  average  size  of  the  plant  is  about  twenty  inches, 
but  some  attain  a  height  of  over  two  feet.  It  has  a  strong, 
tufted  root- stock;  the  stipe  covered  very  profusely  with 
membranaceous,  chaffy  scales;  the  frond  lanceolate,  pin- 
nate; the  pinnae  lanceolate,  with  a  well-marked  triangular 
lobe  on  the  upper  side.  The  frond  becomes  very  narrow 
and  contracted  toward  the  apex,  probably  on  account  of 
the  pabulum  supplied  to  the  leaf  being  used  up  in  fruit- 
patches,  which  cover  the  entire  surface  of  this  constricted 
portion.  The  plant  is  very  variable,  being  sometimes 
broad  and  foliate,  when  the  fronds  are  generally  sterile, 
and  not  so  strongly  marked  with  spines.  The  fertile 
fronds  are  much  narrower  than  the  sterile,  the  pinnae  be- 
coming crisp  and  wavy.  The  Plate  represents  the  frond 
near  the  middle,  with  the  point  bent,  showing  the  fructifi- 
cation beneath. 

This  fern  is  very  hardy,  and  is  consequently  very  suit- 
able for  out-door  cultivation. 


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CYSTOPTERIS,  Bekm 

^jia rider  Ferii 


GENERA   AND    SPECIES.  lOI 

Plate   XXXVII. 
CYSTOPTERIS.     Bernhardi. 

Bladder   Fern. 

Gen.  Char. — Fruit-dots  roundish,  on  the  back  of  the  free  veins ; 
indusium  inflated,  attached  by  a  broad  base  beneath  the  under  side 
of  the  sorus,  opening  toward  the  apex  of  the  segment ;  veins  forked. 

This  is  a  small  genus  of  fragile  ferns,  chiefly  confined  to 
the  temperate  latitudes,  though  the  C.  fragilis  has  a  very- 
wide  range,  and  might  almost  be  included  in  Mr.  Red- 
field's  Cosmopolitan  division.  The  illustration,  taken  from 
Hooker  and  Bauer,  gives  a  magnified  view  of  the  leaflet, 
showing  the  arrangement  of  the  fruit-dots,  the  sorus,  with 
the  indusium  laid  open,  and  the  sporange  with  its  spore, 
all  highly  magnified.  The  indusium,  or  covering,  of  the 
fruit-dots  is  in  the  form  of  a  small  leaf,  broad  at  the  base 
and  tapering  to  a  point.  This  character  can  only  be  ob- 
served with  the  aid  of  a  pocket  lens.  The  sori  are  situ- 
ated on  the  veins  a  little  short  of  the  apex,  while  in  most 
other  ferns  they  are  at  the  ends  of  the  veins. 

The  common  name  of  Bladder  Fern  is  given  to  plants 
of  this  genus  on  account  of  the  peculiar  inflated  appear- 
ance of  the  indusium  when  fully  mature.  Only  three 
species  are  found  in  this  country — the  C.  montana,  from 
Alaska,  the  C.  fragilis  and  C.  bulbifera;  both  of  the  latter 
being  common. 


^^. 


\^ 


FI.XXXYin 
•"TERIS  FRAGlLi.3, 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  IO3 

Plate  XXXVIII. 
CYSTOPTERIS  FRAGILIS.     Bernhardi. 

Common  Bladder  Fern. 

This  is  one  of  the  earHest  of  our  native  ferns  to  welcome 
the  coming  spring.  It  is  a  fragile,  delicate  little  plant,  send- 
ing up  its  scroll -like  fronds  before  the  snow  has  scarcely- 
left  the  ground.  In  our  Kentucky  woods  its  first  compan- 
ions are  the  Spring  Beauty,  the  Hepatica,  and  the  Violets. 
Its  usual  habitat  is  the  crevices  of  damp  and  dripping 
rocks,  where  the  soil  is  deep  and  rich;  and  it  is  found 
in  great  luxuriance  in  deeply -shaded  woods,  with  fronds 
quite  two  feet  in  height,  strong  and  erect,  profusely  covered 
with  fruit-dots.  In  such  places  the  scaly  root-stock,  ten  or 
twelve  inches  long,  seems  to  spread  out  in  every  direction; 
when  confined  to  the  rocks,  the  root-stock  is  more  tufted, 
the  fronds  broader  and  not  so  high.  From  the  great  num- 
ber of  seedlings  found  during  all  the  summer  months,  the 
spores  would  seem  to  germinate  readily.  These  tiny  seed- 
lings are  very  convenient  for  examination,  showing  the 
structure  and  venation  much  better  than  the  older  plants. 
The  pinnae  of  the  young  fronds  are  more  ovate  and  closer 
together  than  in  those  farther  developed.  At  first  the  plant 
is  of  a  light  green  color,  soft  and  smooth,  growing  coarser 
as  it  grows  older,  with  the  addition  of  a  few  scattered  chaffy- 
scales. 

It  is  represented  in  the  Plate  of  natural  size,  with  its 
tufted  root  and  fronds  in  various  stages  of  growth.  The 
full-grown  frond  is  bent  over  so  as  to  show  the  under  side. 

It  is  easily  cultivated  wherever  a  good  rich  soil  is  sup- 
plied, being  easily  raised  in  the  Wardian  case,  in  mounds, 
or  on  rock-work. 


"h^  *, 


7*? 


■f 


\  M  f\     *; 


W 


PI    XXXIX, 
CYSTOPTERIS  BULBIFERA,  Ber«.h. 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  IO5 

Plate  XXXIX. 
CYSTOPTERIS   BULBIFERA.     Beinhaidi. 

Bulbous  Bladder  Fern. 

The  specific  name,  bidbifcra  (bulb -bearing),  applied  to 
this  plant,  is  much  more  characteristic  than  many  of  the 
scientific  names  given  to  plants.  On  the  underside  of  the 
rachis  and  pinn?e  are  situated,  at  intervals,  several  litde 
bulbs,  which  the  amateur  might  readily  mistake  for  organs 
of  fructification.  They  are,  however,  in  no  way  connected 
with  the  fruitybearing  function,  but  are  mere  excrescences, 
or  expansions  of  the  epidermal  tissue. 

I'his  plant  has  the  same  general  appearance  as  the  C. 
fragilis,  with  much  longer  lanceolate  fronds,  often  two  feet 
in  length,  with  lance-oblong  pinnae.  The  stem  is  so  frail 
and  delicate  that  it  seldom  supports  the  plant  in  an  upright 
position,  but  allows  it  to  bend  over  upon  the  rocks  or  the 
surrounding  vegetation.  It  is  not  so  common  in  Kentucky 
as  the  preceding  species.  But  it  is  found  in  numerous 
localities,  on  the  cliffs  of  the  Kentucky  River  (Short),  and 
notably  at  Rock  Springs,  in  Oldham  County,  where  it 
grows  in  moist  situations  in  the  greatest  luxuriance.  It  is 
a  very  tender  fern,  withering  at  the  first  touch  of  frost,  and 
difficult  to  cultivate. 


PI.  XL.  . 
ONOCLEA.L 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  lO/ 

Plate  XL. 

ONOCLEA.     Linnaeus. 

Gen.  Char. — Fruit-dots  round,  one  on  the  middle  of  each  pri- 
mary vein,  soon  confluent ;  sterile  and  fertile  fronds  unlike,  the  latter 
much  contracted ;  indusium  very  thin,  attached  by  its  lower  side, 
opening  toward  the  apex  of  the  pinnule ;  veins  finely  reticulated. 

This  is  a  very  distinct  and  well-marked  genus,  charac- 
terized by  its  having  the  sporangia  incased  within  berry- 
shaped,  closed  involucres,  formed  from  the  revolute  pin- 
nules. The  fertile  frond  is  erect,  growing  from  the  center 
of  the  tuft,  bearing  its  fruit-capsules  in  a  one-sided  spike 
or  raceme.  The  long-stalked  sterile  fronds  are  triangular 
in  outline,  and  are  given  off  separately  from  the  creeping 
root-stock. 

In  general  appearance  it  does  not  resemble  any  of  the 
rest  of  the  Polypodiaceae,  the  fertile  fronds  especially  differ- 
ing widely  from  those  of  other  members  of  the  group. 
The  peculiar  character  of  the  sporangia,  however,  with 
their  vertical  incomplete  ring,  fixes  beyond  question  its 
place  in  this  natural  sub-order.  The  figures  which  I  have 
presented  are  all  taken  from  the  excellent  work  by  Hooker 
and  Bauer.  I  regret  that  the  smallness  of  the  Plate  did 
not  permit  me  to  give  the  entire  series  of  magnified  veins. 

Figure  i  represents  the  fruit-bearing  portion  of  the  fer- 
tile spike,  natural  size;  figure  2,  an  upper  view  of  a  fertile 
pinnule;  figure  3,  an  under  view  of  the  same,  showing  the 
sporangia  through  the  membranaceous  indusium;  figure  4, 
the  sporangia  bursting  open. 


^V^^    cJ^'-'    '^^^^.^^^^t-    ^ 


Pl.XLI. 
..n^iOCLEA  SENSIBILi: 
Sensitive  Fern. 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  lOg 

Plate  XLI, 
ONOCLEA  SENSIBILIS.     Linnaeus. 

Sensitive  Fern. 

The  Sensitive  Fern  is  the  only  species  of  the  genus 
found  in  this  country,  and  thougli  common  to  the  regions 
east  of  the  Mississippi,  it  has  in  fact  a  very  Hmited  range. 
Mr.  Redfield  says,  "  Onoclea  sensibihs,  though  absent  from 
Europe  and  most  of  Asia,  appears  in  Mantchooria  and 
Japan.  I  am  not  aware  that  it  now  occurs  in  the  western 
portion  of  our  own  country;  but  it  is  a  very  interesting 
fact  that  it  has  been  discovered  in  a  fossil  state  in  the 
eocene  tertiary  of  Montana."* 

It  is  one  of  the  most  common  of  all  our  Kentucky  ferns, 
and  is  met  with  in  swamps  and  marshes,  associated  with 
the  Osmunda  regalis  and  O.  cinnamomea.  It  is  sometimes 
called  the  Oak  Fern  from  the  resemblance  of  its  deeply 
cleft  leaf  to  that  of  the  oak.  The  common  name  of  Sen- 
sitive Fern,  derived  from  its  Latin  specific  name,  conveys 
no  idea  whatever  of  its  peculiar  character,  as  sensibility  is 
the  very  least  of  its  attributes. 

A  variety  is  sometimes  found  in  which  some  of  the  pin- 
nce  of  the  sterile  frond  become  contracted  and  pinnatifid, 
bearing  fruit-dots  as  in  the  fertile;  but  I  have  found,  in 
such  cases,  the  s])orangia  wanting,  while  next  year  the 
abnormal  frond  would  resume  its  original  form.  It  is 
simply  a  further  illustration  of  the  law  of  morphology, 
which  is  applicable  to  every  member  of  the  vegetable  king- 
dom. It  is  easily  cultivated.  The  Plate  represents  a  por- 
tion of  the  sterile  frond,  with  its  delicately-reticulated  veins. 

"•■■  Geograph.  Distrib.  of  Ferns.     Bull.  Torr.  Bot.  Club,  vol.  vi,  p.  4. 


vfv/ 


PL  XLT 

WOODSiA.R. 


GENERA   AND   SPECIES.  Ill 

Plate  XLII. 

■WOODSIA.     Robert  Brown. 

Gen.  Char. — Fruit-dots  roundish,  scattered  on  the  back  of 
simply-forked,  free  veins ;  indusium  attached  under  the  sori,  burst- 
ing at  the  top  into  numerous  jagged  segments. 

This  genus,  named  in  honor  of  Joseph  Woods,  an  EngHsh 
botanist,  author  of  the  "Tourists'  Flora,"  is  represented  in 
this  country  by  six  species  of  small,  tufted,  pinnately-divided 
ferns,  all  of  which,  with  a  single  exception,  are  properly 
northern  species,  though  I  have  doubtfully  added  another, 
so  as  to  include  all  the  species  likely  to  be  found  in  this 
geographical  region.  The  Woodsia  is  widely  dispersed  in 
temperate  latitudes,  extending  in  Europe  from  the  East 
Indies  to  Great  Britain,  and,  on  the  western  continent, 
from  British  America  to  Peru,  with  the  exception  of  the 
intermediate  tropical  region. 

The  indusium,  instead  of  covering  the  sori,  as  in  nearly 
all  the  other  ferns,  is  attached  beneath  them  on  the  frond. 
While  young,  however,  the  sporangia  are  inclosed  within 
the  indusium,  which  forms  a  sort  of  cup.  As  the  frond 
develops  the  cup -like  indusium  bursts  open,  forming  in 
some  species,  after  it  spreads  out,  a  number  of  articulated 
hair -like  bodies  composed  of  irregular  cylindrical  cells. 
Figure  i  represents  the  magnified  portion  of  a  frond;  fig- 
ure 2,  sori  magnified;  figure  3,  spore  magnified.  Figures 
2  and  3  are  from  Hooker  and  Bauer. 


•5-^ 


W^^ .' 


A/ 


PI  XLllI. 
WOODSIA  OBTUSA  JoRR. 

Obt'Jse-LeavedWoodsia 


^-\^:-% 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  II3 

Plate  XLIII. 
WOODSIA  OBTUSA.     Torrey. 

Obtuse-leaved  Woodsia. 

This  fern  might  possibly  be  mistaken  for  the  Common 
Bladder  Fern  {Cystopteris  fragilis).  It  has  the  same  general 
appearance,  grows  to  about  the  same  size,  and  has  some- 
what the  same  habitat.  But  these  ferns  have  no  relation- 
ship. The  frond  is  lanceolate,  broader  than  in  the  Cystop- 
teris, and  the  stipe  and  pinnae  are  glandular-hairy.  The 
indusium  of  this  species  differs  somewhat  from  that  repre- 
sented in  the  magnified  view  of  W.  Ilvensis  (Plate  XLIV), 
splitting  into  jagged  lobes,  instead  of  being  lacerated  into  a 
fringe  of  bristly,  chaffy  hairs.  It  is  the  Aspidium  obtusum 
of  Willdenow,  and  the  Polypodium  obtusum  of  Swartz.* 

The  Obtuse -leaved  Woodsia  is  frequently  met  with  in 
Kentucky  in  exposed  situations,  being  better  able  to  endure 
the  direct  rays  of  the  sun  than  most  ferns.  In  such  places 
the  pinnse  are  often  very  much  contracted,  so  that  they 
seem  to  be  crisp,  and  apparently  quite  rolled  up.  I  ob- 
tained the  best  specimens  of  this  fern  from  exposed,  out- 
cropping rocks  on  Beargrass  Creek,  Jefferson  County.  The 
tufted  roots  were  deeply  imbedded  in  the  soil  of  the  larger 
crevices. 

The  Woodsia  grows  well  in  mounds,  on  rock-work,  in 
hanging-baskets,  or  in  the  Wardian  case. 

*  See  Willd.  Sp.  PI.  V,  p.  254,  and  Swartz,  Synop.  Filic.  39. 


10 


pj.XLr/. 

WOODSIA  ILVENSIS.R  Brown 

Elba  'Woodsia. 


GENERA   AND   SPECIES.  II5 

Plate  XLIV. 
WOODSIA  ILVENSIS.     Robert  Brown. 

Elba  Woodsi a. 

This  is  a  small,  tufted  species,  not  more  than  five  inches 
high,  with  oblong-lanceolate  fronds,  bearing  pinnately-parted 
crowded  pinnae,  the  lower  more  widely  apart  than  those 
toward  the  apex.  The  pinnules  are  numerous,  obtuse;  the 
points  somewhat  crenate,  with  the  fruit-dots  near  the  mar- 
gin, and  confluent,  at  least  on  the  mature  fronds.  The 
whole  plant,  especially  on  the  under  side,  is  covered  with 
rusty,  chaffy  hairs.  The  articulation  of  the  stipe  is  charac- 
teristic. Unlike  the  Polypodium  the  joint  is  not  at  the 
root-stock,  but  from  a  half  an  inch  to  one  inch  above  the 
base,  and  much  less  distinct.  When  the  frond  decays  it 
always  breaks  off  at  this  place,  and  not  at  some  indefinite 
point  of  the  stipe,  as  in  most  ferns. 

I  have  not  been  able  definitely  to  give  this  beautiful  little 
fern  "a  local  habitation  and  a  place"  in  Kentucky,  although 
there  are  reasonable  grounds  for  believing  that  it  inhabits 
the  rocky  spurs  of  the  great  Appalachian  chain,  along  the 
eastern  border  of  the  State.  As  it  is  the  most  character- 
istic species  of  the  genus,  and  as  it  may  help  local  col- 
lectors to  identify  this  representative  of  a  more  northern 
latitude,  I  have  included  it  among  the  Kentucky  ferns. 

It  is  the  Nephrodium  rufidulum  of  Michaux,  and  is 
found  in  the  Northern  United  States  and  Canada,  and, 
according  to  Gray,  southward  in  the  Alleghanies;  and  is 
therefore  very  properly  referred  by  Mr.  Redfield  to  his 
Boreal  region.  The  counties  of  Boyd,  Martin,  Pike,  Har- 
lan, Bell,  and  Whitley,  by  their  altitude,  are  well  adapted 


Il6  FERNS    OF    KENTUCKY. 

to  be  its  home;  and  botanical  students  or  local  collectors 
are  requested  to  report  any  discovery  they  may  make  of 
it  in  this  region. 

The  etching  represents  a  plant,  natural  size,  which  was 
kindly  furnished  me  by  Prof.  J.  M.  Coulter,  of  Hanover 
College,  Indiana. 


"IT 


^i^j 


\^ 


Pl.XLV. 
DICKSONIA,  L'HtR. 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  II/ 

Plate  XLV. 

DICKSONIA.     L'Heritier. 

Gen.  Char. — Fruit-dots  very  small,  marginal,  at  the  apex  of  a 
free  vein  or  fork ;  indusium  cup-shaped,  membranaceous,  opening  at 
the  top,  and  partly  adherent  to  the  reflexed  margin. 

This  genus,  named  in  honor  of  James  Dickson,  a  noted 
English  cryptogamic  botanist,  furnishes  some  of  the  most 
noble  and  graceful  specimens  of  the  vegetable  kingdom — 
the  Tree  Ferns  of  the  tropical  islands  of  the  Pacific  and 
Indian  oceans.  The  form  and  arrangement  of  the  organs 
of  fructification,  however,  as  in  other  ferns,  determine  their 
place  in  the  order  of  Filices.  A  single  unpretentious  spe- 
cies represents  the  genus  in  this  country. 

It  belongs  to  the  tribe  Davalliere,  characterized  by  its 
having  the  sporangia  inclosed  within  a  slightly -recurved 
lobe  of  the  pinnule.  A  magnified  view  of  the  pinnule, 
showing  the  venation  and  the  position  of  the  fruit-dots,  is 
given  in  the  Plate.  Figure  2,  still  more  magnified,  shows  the 
reticulated  structure  of  the  leaf-tissue  and  the  cup-shaped  in- 
dusium or  involucre  bursting  and  discharging  the  sporangia. 

Hooker,  in  his  "Genera  of  Ferns,"  says  that  "the  indu- 
sium or  involucre  appears  to  be  formed  of  a  dilated  (at 
length  membranaceous)  portion  or  tooth  of  the  frond, 
which  unites  with  a  scale  arising  from  the  apex  of  a  nerve 
on  the  under  side  of  a  pinnule."  There  is  formed,  at 
first,  a  nearly  globose,  entire  indusium,  which  soon  bursts 
at  the  top,  sometimes  with  a  transverse  cleft,  and  some- 
times with  an  irregular  circular  opening.  In  all  the  speci- 
mens which  I  have  examined  the  opening  was  irregular. 
A  number  of  delicate  microscopic  hairs  may  be  found 
on  the  margin  of  the  indusium. 


■*m:''- 


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vV"  .  ?:;.  ^ 


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PI  y;::/i 

OICKSONIA  PUNCTILOBUi/ 

■^ntedFerp. 


'v^Ss. 


GENERA   AND    SPECIES.  1 19 

Plate  XLVI. 
DICKSONIA  PUNCTILOBULA.     Kunze. 

Sweet-scented  Fern. 

This  is  the  only  American  species  of  the  genus,  and  is 
not  common  in  Kentucky,  though  Prof.  Hussey  reports  it 
as  growing  abundantly  in  Edmonson  County.  I  have  some 
beautiful  specimens  from  the  banks  of  Silver  Creek,  Clark 
County,  Indiana,  only  a  few  miles  from  Louisville.  They 
grow  on  loose,  shaly  rocks,  apparently  without  much  nour- 
ishment. It  may  be  readily  mistaken  by  the  young  bota- 
nist for  the  Lady  Fern.  But  a  careful  examination  of  the 
fruit-dots,  in  well-developed  plants,  will  enable  him  to  iden- 
tify it  at  once. 

The  frond  is  about  two  and  a  half  feet  high,  lanceolate- 
ovate,  and  twice  pinnate.  The  pinnules  are  exceedingly 
regular  m  outline,  resembling  patterns  for  decorative  de- 
signs. The  whole  plant  is  covered  with  numerous  little 
glands  which  emit,  when  crushed,  a  very  pleasant  odor. 

This  fern  has  a  trailing  root-stock,  and  is  very  difficult  to 
transplant,  but  with  care  it  may  be  made  to  grow  very  well. 
It  needs  plenty  of  room  in  which  to  develop  its  graceful 
fronds. 

A  piece  of  a  frond,  natural  size,  is  shown  in  the  Plate. 


Mmm 


^ 


^ 
& 


^ 


PIXLVII. 
TRICHOMANES.L. 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  121 

Plate  XLVII. 

TRICHOMANES.      Linnaeus. 

Gen.  Char. — Fruit-dots  marginal,  at  the  ends  of  free  veins ;  in- 
dusium  urn-shaped,  cylindrical,  in  which  the  sporangia  are  borne 
upon  an  elongated  receptacle  (columella) ;  the  frond  delicate  and 
pellucid. 

The  gentis  Trichomanes  is  the  only  representative  of  the 
sub -order  Hymenophyllaceae  in  this  coiuitry.  It  differs 
widely  from  any  of  the  ferns  yet  described,  not  only  in 
the  form  and  arrangement  of  the  sporangia,  but  in  the 
peculiar  texture  of  the  foliage,  and  the  disposition  of  the 
capsules  upon  the  frond.  The  pellucid  appearance  of  the 
leaf-tissue  is  common  to  all  the  Hymenophyllacese.  This 
transparency  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  fronds  have  but  a 
single  layer  of  cellular  tissue,  while  the  darker  veins  are 
composed  of  several  layers  of  compact  tissue.  In  many 
respects  they  resemble  mosses  more  than  true  ferns;  and, 
accordingly  Prof.  Sachs  assigns  them  the  lowest  place  in 
the  fern  family,  next  to  the  mosses.  But  the  unfolding  of 
the  leaf,  as  well  as  the  venation,  is  exactly  like  that  of  the 
true  ferns. 

The  sessile  sporangia  are  situated  upon  a  long  columella, 
inclosed  in  an  urn-shaped  involucre,  upon  the  ends  of  the 
free  veins  at  the  margin  of  the  leaf.  The  apex  of  the  urn- 
shaped  body  does  not  project  beyond  the  margin  of  the 
lobe  of  the  pinnule,  but  the  column  or  bristle  is  prolonged 
beyond  it  a  quarter  of  an  inch.  This  column,  under  the 
microscope,  presents  a  series  of  spiral  scars  at  the  points 
where  the  sessile  sporangia  have  been  attached. 

The  ferns  of  this  group  are  confined  to  damp,  secluded 
situations,  shrivelling  up  when  exposed  to  the  direct  rays 

II 


122  FERNS    OF    KENTUCKY. 

of  the  sun.  I  have  found  species  of  the  Hymenophyllum 
on  the  island  of  Arran,  Scotland,  growing  in  localities  simi- 
lar to  those  occupied  by  the  Trichomanes  radicans  in  this 
country. 

Figures  2,  3,  and  4  give  microscopic  views  of  the  urn- 
shaped  involucre,  sporangia,  and  spore.  The  drawing  is 
from  that  of  Mr.  Bauer,  in  Hooker  and  Bauer's  "  Genera 
of  Ferns."  After  a  careful  examination  of  the  specimens 
found  in  Kentucky,  I  can  see  no  difference  in  them  from 
the  representations  by  Mr.  Bauer,  except  that  in  our  speci- 
mens the  column  seems  to  arise  from  the  thickened  cellular 
tissue  a  little  above  the  base  of  the  involucre. 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  1 23 

Plate  XLVIII.      (Frontispiece.) 
TRICHOMANES  RADICANS.     Swartz. 

Bristle  Fern.      Killarney  Fern. 

This  exceedingly  rare  fern  has  a  black,  Aviry,  creeping 
root-stock,  with  somewhat  drooping  fronds  of  very  variable 
outline.  The  texture  of  the  leafy  portion  is  thin  and  deli- 
cate, with  the  veins  surrounded  by  a  sort  of  pellucid  fringe, 
as  in  all  the  filmy  ferns  (Hymenophyllaceae).  The  plant  is 
from  three  to  ten  inches  high.  The  leaf- stalks  have  a 
kind  of  membranaceous  keel  or  wing,  and  are  smooth  or 
somewhat  rusty. 

The  name  of  Killarney  Fern  was  given  to  it  by  the 
English  botanists  on  account  of  its  being  found,  in  Great 
Britain,  only  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Lakes  of  Killarney, 
Ireland.  Previous  to  1872  it  had  only  been  reported  as 
found  in  Alabama  and  Tennessee  (Gray),  in  this  country; 
but  in  that  year  it  was  discovered  in  Carter  County,  Ky., 
by  Dr.  H.  H.  Hill,  of  Cincinnati.  Carter  County  is  in  the 
northeastern  portion  of  the  State,  near  the  borders  of  West 
Virginia.  In  the  years  1873  and  1874  it  was  collected  by 
Prof.  Hussey  in  the  same  county,  and  in  Edmonson  and 
Barren  counties.  In  Barren  County,  Prof.  Hussey  says 
that  he  "found  it  in  more  than  twenty  localities,  always 
on  rocks  or  moist  earth,  far  under  overhanging  cliffs,  at 
least  where  moisture  never  fails,  and  the  direct  rays  of 
the  sun  do  not  reach  during  many  minutes  of  the  day. 
Usually  the  fronds  are  bedewed  with  moisture  trickling 
from  the  rocks  on  which  they  grow." 

In  1876  Mrs.  L.  P.  Yandell,  of  this  city,  found  it  in 
Laurel  County,  near  Rockcastle  Springs.  In  a  letter  to 
the  author  she  thus  describes  the  place  where  it  was  found : 


124  FERNS    OF    KENTUCKY. 

"  My  second  view  of  the  Trichomanes  I  can  never  forget. 
At  a  point  where  the  immense  chff  seemed  to  have  sud- 
denly parted,  forming  an  angle  of  forty -five  degrees,  a 
small  stream  of  water  was  falling  from  the  top,  a  distance 
of  about  two  hundred  feet.  In  this  angle,  twenty  feet 
above  my  head,  was  a  fairy  grotto  about  three  feet  deep 
and  ten  feet  in  circumference.  It  was  lined  above,  be- 
low, and  within  with  Trichomanes  glistening  in  the  spray 
of  the  falling  water,  many  of  the  leaves  eight  inches  long — 
a  translucent  fringe — deeply  embowered  in  the  shade  of 
the  overhanging  chffs  and  rhododendrons,  where  no  ray 
of  sunshine  had  ever  penetrated.  The  face  of  the  cliff 
is  about  three  hundred  yards  from  the  river,  and  the  point 
where  the  plant  grows  is  pure  sandstone.  These  cliffs  are 
the  crowns  to  hills  covered  with  great  varieties  of  foliage, 
and  the  glens  which  lead  up  the  middle  of  these  arcades 
are  filled  with  the  rankest  vegetation.  The  cliffs  here  form 
arcades  from  the  banks  of  the  river,  which  run  from  north 
to  south." 

In  the  summer  of  1877  Dr.  Crosier,  of  Louisville,  found 
it  on  the  divide  between  the  head  waters  of  the  Rockcastle 
River  and  the  South  Fork  of  the  Kentucky  River.  It 
grew  beneath  an  overhanging  ledge  of  sandstone,  where 
the  rays  of  the  sun  never  penetrated,  and  where  it  was 
kept  constantly  moist  with  water  trickling  from  above. 
One  of  the  Liverworts  (Marchantia)  was  found  growing 
with  it  in  great  abundance.  The  rocks  overhead  were 
fringed  with  rhododendrons. 

Prof  Hussey,  who  first  identified  Dr.  Hill's  specimens, 
and  who  has  made  himself  familiar  with  it  in  its  native 
habitats,  has  kindly  sent  me  the  following  account  of  it: 
"The  thin,  wiry  root-stocks,  densely  clothed  with  roots  or 
trichomes,  are  woven  into  a  dense  mat  and  come  off  in 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  1 25 

great  masses,  from  which  portions  have  to  be  torn.  The 
fronds  do  not  develop  the  fruit  until  they  have  been  ma- 
ture for  some  time — apparently  not  until  they  are  at  least 
a  year  old,  perhaps  older.  Then  the  ends  of  the  veins  en- 
large and  grow  beyond  the  margin  of  the  frond.  A  season 
is  occupied  in  developing  the  first  cluster  of  spores.  At 
the  end  of  the  second  year  the  frond  has  borne  some  fruit; 
but  the  process  of  fruit-bearing  continues  for  several  sea- 
sons. The  bristle,  upon  the  base  of  which  the  sporangia 
grow,  continues  to  develop,  its  base  always  covered  with 
new  sporangia.  This  bristle,  when  not  broken  off,  becomes 
half  an  inch  or  more  in  length.  By  means  of  a  sufficiently- 
high  magnifying  power  the  scars  left  on  the  bristle  by  the 
breaking  away  of  the  foot-stalks  of  the  sporangia  may  be 
plainly  seen.  We  can  not  tell  how  many  years  a  single 
frond  of  Trichomanes  radicans  may  live.  It  must  exist 
five  or  six  years,  possibly  more.  It  is  difficult  to  command 
the  conditions  necessary  to  make  it  grow  in  cultivation.  It 
will  remain  in  a  natural  condition  many  months  under  a 
moist  bell-glass,  if  aired  occasionally  to  prevent  molding. 
In  1877  I  gave  a  portion  in  a  fresh  state  to  'WiUiam,'  a 
guide  at  the  Mammoth  Cave,  to  plant  near  the  mouth  of 
the  cave,  and  I  have  since  learned  that  it  is  doing  well." 

Mrs.  Yandell  brought  a  few  plants  of  this  fern  from 
Laurel  County,  two  summers  ago,  and  placed  them  in  a 
pot  filled  with  fibrous  peat  and  sand.  I  have  this  fern  in 
my  possession,  and  it  continues  to  put  out  new  fronds. 
The  vase  is  covered  with  a  bell-glass,  and  is  kept  shaded 
from  the  sun's  rays. 


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PI.XLIX. 
LYGODIUM,  SwARTz. 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  12/ 

Plate  XLIX. 

LYGODIUM.     Swartz. 

Gen.  Char. — Fruit -dots  arranged  on  contracted  pinnules  of 
spike-like  lobes,  covered  on  one  side  by  imbricate,  hooded  scales ; 
fronds  leafy,  climbing. 

This  remarkable  genus  differs  very  much  from  any  yet 
described,  both  from  its  general  appearance  and  the  pecu- 
liar arrangement  of  its  fruit-bearing  apparatus.  It  belongs 
to  the  sub-order  Schizaeaceae,  and  is  distinguished  by  its 
having  the  sporangia  inclosed  in  the  hooded  scales  of  a 
two-ranked,  imbricated  spikelet.  Figure  i  shows  a  portion 
of  the  fertile  part  of  the  frond  magnified;  a,  the  pinnules 
covered  with  imbricated  scales  (indusium);  b,  with  the 
scales  removed,  exposing  the  sporangia  fixed  to  the  veinlet; 
figure  2,  a  sporange  magnified  fifty  diameters. 

It  differs  widely  from  all  other  ferns  from  the  fact  that  it 
is  a  climbing  plant.  The  species  of  this  genus  are  mostly 
confined  to  the  warmer  regions  of  the  globe,  although  the 
only  one  found  in  this  country  is  able  to  endure  the  ex- 
treme cold  of  a  New  England  winter.  Four  fossil  species 
of  Lygodium  are  described  by  Mr.  Lesquereux  from  the 
tertiary,  and  one  from  the  cretaceous  deposits  of  the  West.* 
Though  these  specimens  are  mere  fragments  of  leaves,  the 
peculiar  nervation  is  well  preserved,  and  is  quite  sufScient 
to  identify  the  genus. 

■••■See  "Cretaceous  Flora  of  the  West.  Territories,"  p.  45,  plate  i, 
figure  2;  also,  "Tertiary  Flora,"  p.  61,  plate  v,  figures  4-9. 


^ 


Pl.L 
LYGODIUM  PALMATUM^Swari/ 

Climbing  Fern. 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  12g 

Plate  L. 
LYGODIUM    PALMATUM.     Swartz. 

Climbing   Fern. 

The  common  name  of  this  fern  is  very  appropriate.  It 
has  a  slender,  twining  stalk,  bearing  at  intervals  of  a  couple 
of  inches  alternate  short  branches;  these  are  twice-forked, 
each  subdivision  bearing  a  palmate  frondlet.  The  smaller 
fertile  frondlets  form  a  compound  terminal  panicle.  The 
root-stock  is  creeping,  and  somewhat  similar  to  those  al- 
ready described  in  many  other  ferns. 

This  is  one  of  the  rarest  of  our  Kentucky  ferns,  and,  of 
late  years,  has  only  been  found  within  the  limits  of  the 
State  in  a  few  localities.  It  had  been  previously  given  as 
indigenous  to  the  State,  in  the  works  of  Gray,  Wood,  and 
other  botanists,  without  specifying  localities,  probably  on 
the  authority  of  Dr.  Short,  though  I  have  not  found  it  in 
the  catalogues  of  either  Short  or  Riddell.  During  the 
summer  of  1876  Mrs.  L.  P.  Yandell,  of  Louisville,  and 
Miss  G.  H.  Rule,  of  Philadelphia,  discovered  it  at  Rock- 
castle Springs,  near  London,  Laurel  County;  and  on  a  re- 
cent excursion  (March,  1878,)  to  Livingston,  Rockcastle 
County,  I  found  it  growing  in  great  luxuriance,  covering 
acres  of  ground  on  the  moist  declivity  of  the  range  of 
hills  extending  from  Livingston  to  Pine  Hill.  The  masses 
of  twining  fronds  matted  together  and  interlaced  in  a  thou- 
sand directions,  reminded  me  of  clusters  of  dodder.  Prof. 
Crandall,  of  the  Kentucky  Geological  Survey,  reports  the 
Climbing  Fern  on  the  Cumberland  table-lands  near  Cross- 
ville,  Tenn. ;  it  is  found  in  the  Carolinas  (Nuttall),  in  the 
western  part  of  Virginia,  on  the  borders  of  Kentucky  and 
Tennessee  (Michaux),  and  in  Florida  (Chapman). 


130  FERNS    OF    KENTUCKY. 

The  Trichomanes  and  Lygodium,  so  far  as  our  present 
knowledge  extends,  are  both  exceedingly  rare  in  Kentucky, 
and  we  earnestly  hope  that  these  lovely  ferns,  however 
tempting  they  may  be  to  fern  collectors,  may  be  left  in 
their  native  habitat.  Mr.  Martindale,  of  Camden,  New 
Jersey,  in  the  "Botanical  Gazette,"  for  December,  1876, 
gives  an  account  of  seventeen  species  of  ferns  collected 
by  Miss  Rule,  at  Rockcastle  Springs,  among  which  was 
the  Lygodium  palmatum. 


:yf/ 


Pi.LI. 
OSMUNDA,L 

Flowering  Fern 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  I3I 

Plate  LI. 

OSMUNDA.     Linnaeus. 

Gen.  Char. — Sporangia  globular,  short-stalked,  destitute  of  an 
indusium,  clustered  on  the  margin  of  the  much-contracted  fertile 
frond,  or  portion  of  frond. 

This  is  the  typical  genus  of  the  sub-order  Osmundacere, 
and  its  characteristics  are  quite  distinct.  Figure  i  repre- 
sents a  portion  of  a  fertile  frond  slightly  magnified;  figure 
2,  sporangia  and  spores  greatly  magnified,  the  globular 
sporangia  with  two  valves  opening  from  the  top.  The  fer- 
tile part  of  the  frond  is  very  much  contracted,  the  pin- 
nules being  sometimes  broad  and  foliate  on  one  side,  and 
narrow,  with  fruit-capsules,  on  the  other. 

This  genus  has  three  representatives  in  this  country,  all 
found  in  Kentucky.  They  are  tall  stately  plants,  growing 
usually  in  low,  wet  grounds  in  the  neighborhood  of  swamps 
and  marshes.  The  fertile  fronds,  with  their  clusters  of 
ferrtiginous  sporangia,  amid  the  masses  of  green  foliage, 
serve  to  make  them  exceedingly  picturesque.  A  fossil 
species  is  described  from  the  Tertiary  of  the  Western  Ter- 
ritories.-i^ 

*See  Lesquereux's  Tertiary  Flora,  p.  60,  pi.  iv,  fig.  i. 


'UNL;/,  KLJAL!S,I- 

'■'1  f^iowenn^Fern. 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  I33 

Plate  LII. 
OSMUNDA  REGALIS.     Linnaeus. 

Royal  Flowering  Fern. 

This  species  is  the  best  known  of  the  Flowering  Ferns, 
and  has  a  wide  geographical  range,  both  in  this  country  and 
in  Europe.  It  is  much  admired  on  account  of  its  majestic 
size.  Moore  describes  it  as  sometimes  growing,  in  Eng- 
land, to  the  height  of  eight  or  ten  feet.  But  it  rarely  at- 
tains, in  the  United  States,  such  stately  dimensions.  In 
the  Wet  Woods,  four  miles  south  of  Louisville,  it  grows 
to  great  perfection,  but  I  have  never  secured  specimens 
over  four  feet  in  height.  Along  the  Rockcastle  River,  for 
miles,  it  grows  in  such  profusion  that  it  holds  a  predominant 
place  in  the  vegetation  of  that  region.  It  flourishes  in  all 
the  swamps  and  low  lands  of  this  State,  and  may  be  found 
along  the  alluvial  banks  of  most  of  our  water-courses.  The 
sterile  frond  is  twice-pinnate,  the  pinnae  with  about  ten  pairs 
of  leaflets;  the  fertile  frond  is  also  twice -pinnate,  with  a 
dense  racemose  panicle  of  fruit-capsules  (sporangia)  at  the 
top.  When  fully  ripe  this  fruit-panicle  has  a  showy  appear- 
ance, like  a  flowering  plant  in  fruit,  whence  its  name  of 
Flowering  Fern. 

The  scientific  name  of  this  fern  has  been  the  subject  of 
much  conjecture.  Sometimes  it  has  been  said  to  be  de- 
rived from  Osmunder,  the  Saxon  name  of  the  Scandinavian 
Thor,  and  sometimes  from  Osmund,  a  traditionary  person- 
age, of  whom  the  following  story  is  told: 

"  At  Loch  Tyne  dwelt  the  waterman,  old  Osmund.  Fair- 
est among  maidens  was  the  daughter  of  Osmund,  the  water- 
man. Her  light  brown  hair  and  glowing  cheek  told  of  her 
Saxon  origin,  and  her  light  steps  bounded  over  the  green 


134  FERNS    OF    KENTUCKY. 

turf  like  a  young  fawn  in  his  native  glades.  Often  in  the 
stillness  of  a  summer's  evening  did  the  mother  and  her  fair- 
haired  child  sit  beside  the  lake  to  watch  the  dripping  and 
splashing  of  the  father's  oars  as  he  skimmed  right  merrily 
toward  them  o\er  the  deep  blue  waters.  Sounds  as  of 
hasty  steps  were  heard  one  day,  and  presently  a  company 
of  fugitives  told  with  breathless  haste  that  the  cruel  Danes 
were  making  way  toward  the  ferry.  Osmund  heard  them 
with  fear.  Suddenly  the  shouts  of  furious  men  came  re- 
motely on  the  ear.  The  fugitives  rushed  on.  Osmund 
stood  for  a  moment;  then  snatching  up  his  oars  he  rowed 
his  trembling  wife  and  fair  child  to  a  small  island  covered 
with  the  great  Osmund  Royal,  and,  helping  them  to  land, 
bade  them  lie  down  beneath  the  tall  ferns. '  Scarcely  had 
the  ferryman  returned  to  his  cottage  when  a  company  of 
Danes  rushed  in;  but  they  hurt  him  not,  for  they  knew 
he  could  do  them  service.  During  the  day  and  night  did 
Osmund  row  backward  and  forward  across  the  river,  ferry- 
ing troops  of  those  fierce  men.  When  the  last  company 
was  put  on  shore,  Osmund,  kneeling  beside  the  river's 
bank,  returned  heartfelt  thanks  to  Heaven  for  the  preser- 
vation of  his  wife  and  child.  Often  in  after  years  did 
Osmund  speak  of  that  day's  peril;  and  his  fair  child, 
grown  up  to  womanhood,  called  the  tall  fern  by  her 
father's  name." 

The  Royal  Fern  may  be  readily  cultivated  in  mounds, 
with  a  rich,  deep  soil  which  retains  the  moisture,  and  is 
not  exposed,  at  any  time,  to  a  parching  summer  sun. 


'Jv^ 


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piun. 

OSMUNDA   CLAYTON IANA,L. 

Clayton's  Flowering  f^rn. 


GENERA   AND   SPECIES.  1 35 

Plate  LIII. 
OSMUNDA  CLAYTONIANA.     Linnaeus. 

Clayton's  Flowering  Fern. 

This  curious  fern  is  the  O.  interrupta  of  Michaux,  which 
is  really  the  most  appropriate  name,  on  account  of  the  fer- 
tile frond  being  interrupted  at  intervals  near  the  middle 
with  contracted  pinnae  bearing  the  fruit-capsules;  but  the 
older  name  of  Claytoniana  claims  the  precedence.  The 
Plate  only  shows  the  interrupted  fertile  frond,  the  sterile 
being  very  similar  but  broader.  The  transformation  of 
the  leaf- tissue  into  fruit -bearing  organs  is  well  exhibited 
in  this  plant.  It  grows  to  the  height  of  about  two  and  one 
half  feet,  and,  when  young,  is  clothed  with  a  fine  woolly 
substance  which  disappears  when  older. 

This  plant  is  found  in  all  our  damp,  rich  woods,  but  is 
not  so  common  around  Louisville  as  the  O.  regalis.  In 
Rockcastle  County  it  is  very  abundant,  as  is  doubtless  the 
case  in  all  the  deep,  rich  woods  of  the  mountain  counties. 


\|y 


PI.I.IV^ 
OSMUNDA  CINNAMOMEA, 

Cinnamon  Flowering  Fern. 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  1 37 

Plate  LIV. 
OSMUNDA  CINNAMOMEA.     Linn^us. 

Cinnamon   Fern. 

This  is  the  only  one  of  the  Flowering  Ferns  in  which 
the  fertile  frond  differs  very  materially  from  the  sterile.  In 
early  summer  it  sends  up  a  tall  frond  thickly  clothed  with 
rusty  wool.  This  frond  is  twice-pinnate,  and  is  composed 
entirely  of  cinnamon-colored  fruit-cases.  The  sterile  frond 
bears  opposite  lanceolate  pinnse,  with  broadly  obtuse  divi- 
sions. The  fertile  frond  is  very  short-lived,  withering  in 
the  early  part  of  July,  either  lying  shriveled  at  the  base,  or 
hanging  to  the  fertile  frond,  which  has  now  arrived  at  its 
greatest  perfection,  and  is  very  smooth.  The  latter  often 
attains  the  height  of  five  feet,  a  tall  majestic  plant  which, 
in  the  swamps  of  the  Northern  United  States,  becomes  a 
very  conspicuous  object. 

The  finest  specimens  I  have  obtained  were  found  near 
Livingston,  Rockcastle  County.  It  grows  also  in  the  Wet 
Woods,  near  Louisville,  and  in  a  swamp  at  Prospect,  on 
the  Narrow  Gauge  Railroad. 

On  account  of  the  great  size  of  the  Flowering  Ferns,  it 
is  difficult  to  show  any  thing  more  than  their  general  struc- 
ture in  the  drawings. 

12 


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\V 


Pl.LV. 
BOTRYCHIUM,    SwARTz 

Moon-wort. 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  139 

Plate  LV. 
BOTRYCHIUM.     Swartz, 

M  O  O  N  W  O  R  T  . 

Gen.  Char. — Sporangia  sessile,  naked,  on  the  margin  of  the  1-3 
pinnated  rachis,  arranged  in  a  double  row ;  fronds  with  a  sterile  and 
fertile  segment,  the  fertile  contracted;  root  fleshy;  veins  forked. 

This  interesting  genus  belongs  to  the  sub-order  Ophio- 
glossacese,  which,  as  has  already  been  mentioned  in  the 
article  on  classification  (Page  25),  occupies  a  questionable 
place  among  the  true  ferns.*  The  genus  is  distinguished 
chiefly  by  its  having  the  organs  of  fructification  in  an  erect 
panicle,  borne  on  a  separate  stem  or  branch  of  the  frond. 
Hofmeister  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  fertile  frond  is  a  shoot 
of  the  sterile  one.  The  spore-cases,  especially  when  young, 
resemble  globular  berries,  which,  as  soon  as  they  become 
mature,  open  vertically,  presenting  two  symmetrical  valves. 
These  are  somewhat  coriaceous  in  texture,  and  opaque, 
and  are  destitute  of  an  elastic  ring,  as  in  the  true  ferns. 
According  to  Davenport,  external  characters  are  not  to  be 
depended  upon,  the  buds  or  spores  furnishing  the  only  un- 
varying characters  by  which  the  different  species  can  be 
recognized.     Each  sporangium  is  an  entire  lobe  of  a  leaf, 

*For  a  full  exposition  of  the  Ophioglossace^  I  would  refer  the 
reader  to  the  following  works:  Mettenius,  Filices  horte  botanici 
Lipsiensis,  1856,  p.  119;  Milde,  Monographia  Botrychiorum,  in 
Nova  Acta  Acad,  Leop.  Carolina,  1858,  vol.  xxvi ;  Hofmeister, 
Germination,  Development,  and  Fructification  of  the  Higher  Cryp- 
togamia  (Ray  Soc.)  1862,  pp.  307-317;  Hooker  &  Baker,  Synopsis 
Filicum,  1868;  Sachs,  Text-book  of  Botany,  Eng.  ed.,  1875,  pp. 
378-383;  Davenport,  Notes  on  Botrychium  Simplex,  1877;  Daven- 
port, Vernation  in  Botrychia,  in  Bull.  Torr.  Bot.  Club,  1878,  vol. 
vi,  pp.  193-199- 


140  FERNS    OF    KENTUCKY. 

the  mother -cells  of  the  spores  being  produced  from  the 
inner  tissue. 

How  the  Botrychium  differs  in  its  development  and 
mode  of  growth  from  other  forms  of  the  Vascular  Crypto- 
gams must  be  left  to  the  systematic  works  cited  above. 
The  excellent  monograph,  by  Mr.  Geo.  E.  Davenport,  of 
Boston,  has  done  much  to  simplify  the  subject,  bringing  to 
the  notice  of  American  readers  the  splendid  researches  of 
Milde,  and,  at  the  same  time,  supplementing  them  with  his 
own  careful  investigations.  Through  his  kindness  I  have 
been  enabled  to  append  to  this  work  an  etching  from  his 
Plate  on  the  vernation  in  the  Botrychia,  drawn  originally 
by  Mr.  Emerton  (Plate  LX). 

The  name  Moonwort  is  derived  from  the  crescent  or 
moon  shaped  leaflets  of  the  fronds  of  B.  Lunaria,  Swartz, 
a  species  but  rarely  found  in  the  United  States. 

Plate  LV,  figure  i,  represents  a  fertile  spike;  figure  2, 
sporangium;  figure  3,  spore;  figure  4,  pinnee  of  sterile  frond 
of  B.  Virginianum;  the  last  from  nature,  the  rest  from 
Hooker  and  Bauer. 


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PI  UT. 
BOTRYCHIUM  VIPGINIANUM  j«art2 

Virginia  Moon-wort. 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  I4I 

Plate  LVI. 
BOTRYCHIUM  VIRGINIANUM.     Swartz. 

Virginia  Moonwort. 

This  species  is  undoubtedly  the  handsomest  of  all  our 
Moonworts.  The  sterile  branch  is  sessile  above  the  middle 
of  the  common  stalk,  and  ternate,  the  lower  pinnae  spread- 
ing, forming  a  broad  triangular  frond.  About  the  begin- 
ning of  May,  if  growing  in  a  rich  soil,  the  plant  possesses 
a  thick,  fleshy  texture,  which  is  lost  when  it  attains  matu- 
rity, becoming  thin,  delicate,  and  membranaceous.  It  is 
very  variable,  both  in  form  and  size.  I  have  seen  speci- 
mens two  feet  high  and  sixteen  inches  broad,  measured 
from  the  points  of  the  lower  pinnje.  It  is  common  in 
Kentucky  in  damp,  rich  woods,  where  there  are  plenty  of 
moisture  and  leaf-mold.  In  a  dry,  sterile  soil  it  becomes 
slender  and  dwarfed,  whence  Pursh  was  led  to  establish  a 
new  species,  the  B.  gracile.*  It  is  found  very  generally 
throughout  the  United  States  and  Canada,  though  restricted 
by  Mr.  Redfield  to  the  Appalachian  region.  Singularly 
enough  this  fern  was  placed  by  Linnsusf  among  the 
Osmundas,  which  differ  from  it  very  widely,  both  in  gen- 
eral appearance  and  in  the  peculiar  mode  of  fructification. 

The  Plate  represents  a  portion  of  the  plant,  natural  size, 
cut  off  at  the  point  where  the  sterile  branches  oif  from  the 
fertile  frond.  The  fertile  frond,  in  the  Plate,  does  not  show 
the  fruit  in  such  profusion  as  would  appear  on  a  better  de- 
veloped plant;  yet  it  is  sufficient  to  enable  the  student  to 
determine  the  species  without  difficulty. 

*See  Pursh,  Flor.  Am.  Septen.  vol.  ii,  p.  656. 
tSee  Species  Plantarum,  1579. 


v^/ 


PI.  Lvn. 

BOTRYCHIUM  TERNATIJ  M,var.osi.iquum  milcE 
lernate  N/foon  -wort  . 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  I43 

Plate  LVII. 
BOTRYCHIUM  TERNATUM.    Var.  Obliquum.     Milde. 

T  E  R  N  A  T  E     M  O  O  N  W  O  R  T. 

This  Moonwort  is  easily  distinguished  from  the  preced- 
ing. The  sterile  panicle  arises  from  the  common  stalk 
near  the  ground,  and  is  therefore  long  petioled.  The  tex- 
ture of  the  plant  is  altogether  different  from  that  of  the 
Virginia  Moonwort,  in  being  coarse,  thick,  and  succulent. 
The  sterile  frond  is  ternate,  with  oblong  or  lanceolate  divi- 
sions, and,  in  this  species,  oblique  at  the  base,  toothed  or 
irregularly  pinnatifid,  somewhat  wavy,  crisp  or  recurved, 
as  shown  in  the  Plate. 

This  variety  is  the  most  common  form  of  B.  ternatum 
found  in  Kentucky.  It  is  found  in  all  our  woods,  and 
arrives  at  its  greatest  perfection  in  the  months  of  July  and 
August.  The  fertile  frond  remains  green  all  winter.  The 
vernation  in  Botrychia  is  very  important,  and  Mr.  Daven- 
port remarks  that,  "in  B.  ternatum  and  its  varieties,  the 
bud  is  very  short  and  shaggy,  the  upper  portion  being  so 
thickly  covered  with  a  hairy  pubescence  as  to  obscure  the 
arrangement  of  the  two  fronds  completely.  This  pubes- 
cence is  wholly  confined  to  the  upper  portion  of  the  bud, 
the  stalk  remaining  perfectly  smooth."  He  further  ob- 
serves that  he  has  not  been  able  to  verify  Milde's  state- 
ment "that  in  this  species  the  apex  of  the  fertile  panicle 
is  not  only  bent  downward  in  the  bud,  but  that  the  tip  is 
again  bent  upward,  being  in  fact  sub-circinate,  so  that  in 
his  classification  of  the  different  kinds  of  vernation  he 
places  this  species  in  a  class  by  itself,  which  he  calls  '  ver- 
natio  sub-circinata.'"  He  very  justly  says  that,  "if  cor- 
rect, this  would  be  a  most  important  point,  and  would 


144  FERNS    OF    KENTUCKY. 

show  a  much  closer  relationship  to  the  true  order  of  Filices 
than  is  usually  recognized  in  this  genus."  * 

This  form  of  B.  ternatum,  Swartz,  is  the  B.  obliquum 
of  Muhlenberg,  which,  in  the  earlier  editions  of  Gray's 
Manual,  was  reduced  to  a  variety  of  B.  lunarioides,  Swartz, 
but  Milde's  arrangement  is  now  generally  adopted  in  this 
country,  and  is  undoubtedly  most  in  accordance  with 
nature. 

The  plate  represents  a  plant  of  natural  size. 

*  Vernation  in  Botrychia,  1.  c.  p.  196. 


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PI    LVIII, 
COTRYCHIUM    TERNATUM,  var.  dissectum,  Milde. 


GENERA   AND    SPECIES.  14^ 

Plate  LVIII. 
BOTRYCHIUM  TERNATUM.    Var.  Dissectum.     Milde. 

Finely  -  Dissected  Moonwort. 

The  general  outline  and  appearance  of  this  fern  is  simi- 
lar to  the  plant  last  described.  The  sterile  frond  is  ternate, 
with  lanceolate  pinnae ;  but  instead  of  being  crisp  and  wavy 
they  are  finely  dissected,  so  as  to  form  the  most  delicate 
lanceolate  teeth.  I  have  attempted  to  reproduce  this  dis- 
sected appearance  of  the  frond  in  the  etching,  but  the  lines 
were  so  minute  and  delicate  that  the  Plate  conveys  but  an 
imperfect  idea  of  its  finely-cut  foliage. 

As  far  as  I  have  observed,  this  fern  is  rather  rare  in  Ken- 
tucky. A  beautiful  specimen  of  this  variety  was  sent  to 
me  by  Mrs.  J.  F.  Bullitt,  who  collected  it  on  the  banks  of 
Beargrass  Creek,  about  two  miles  from  Louisville,  where 
it  was  found  with  the  Var.  obliquum  and  the  B.  Virginia- 
num,  both  common  in  that  locality.  All  the  specimens 
of  this  variety  which  I  have  seen  are  strong-growing  plants, 
with  a  well -developed  fertile  frond,  bearing  fruit  in  abun- 
dance. The  stem  is  stout  and  fleshy.  When  it  is  care- 
fully dried  and  mounted  it  is  a  beautiful  specimen  for  the 
herbarium,  the  finely-lacerated  outline  of  the  lobes  showing 
to  great  advantage. 

The  texture  is  not  so  coarse  as  in  the  Var.  obliquum, 
being  more  membranaceous,  but  less  thin  and  delicate  than 
that  of  the  Virginia  IMoonwort.  The  vernation  in  this 
variety  is  similar  to  that  of  the  Var.  obliquum. 

As  in  the  previous  Plate,  the  plant  is  represented  natural 
size,  with  the  fertile  segment  removed. 

13 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES.  I47 

Plate  LIX. 
OPHIOGLOSSUM.     Linnasus. 

Adder's  Tongue. 

Gen.  Char. — Sporangia  sessile,  naked,  coherent  in  two  ranks ; 
fronds  with  sterile  and  fertile  segments,  the  former  simple,  ovate, 
oblong — the  latter  forming  a  simple  spike ;  veins  reticulated. 

This  is  the  typical  genus  of  the  sub -order  Ophioglos- 
saceae.  The  distinctive  characters  of  the  genus  are  some- 
what Hke  those  of  Botrychia.  The  sporangia,  however, 
instead  of  being  arranged  in  the  form  of  a  compound  pan- 
icle, occupy  a  simple  spike.  These  sporangia  or  spore- 
cases  are  sessile,  and  situated  near  the  apex  of  a  long  cylin- 
drical stem,  in  two  ranks.  The  spore -cases  are  opaque, 
discharging,  when  ripe,  a  number  of  minute  spores  from 
a  transverse  slit,  forming  two  valves. 

According  to  Hofmeister,  the  young  frond  makes  its 
appearance  near  the  depressed,  almost  flat  end  of  the  stem, 
in  the  form  of  a  slender  conical  knob,  from  the  fore  side 
of  which  a  fleshy,  flat,  stipule -like  excrescence,  as  in  Ma- 
rattia,  is  produced.  This  cellular  mass  develops  in  breadth 
more  vigorously  than  the  part  of  the  frond  which  is  situa- 
ted above  its  place  of  attachment.  It  embraces  about 
two  fifths,  and  the  frond  about  one  third  of  the  zone  of 
the  stem  upon  which  they  both  stand.*  The  sporangia  of 
Ophioglossum  agree  with  those  of  all  the  Vascular  Cryp- 
togams in  the  one  point  of  belonging  to  the  leaves,  although 
the  history  of  their  development  is  not  as  yet  accurately 
known  (Sachs).  Figure  i  of  the  Plate  is  from  nature;  fig- 
ures 2,  3,  and  4  are  from  Hooker  and  Bauer. 

*See  Hofmeister,  1.  c.  p.  312. 


148  FERNS    OF    KENTUCKY. 

Plate  LIX. 
OPHIOGLOSSUM  VULGATUM.     Linnaeus. 

Common  Adder's  Tongue. 

This  species  of  Ophioglossum  is  the  only  one  I  have 
been  able  to  find  in  Kentucky,  although  Dr.  Short,  a  very 
trustworthy  botanist,  states  that  he  found  the  O.  bulbosum, 
(Michx.)  in  this  State,  giving  "low  grounds"  as  its  habitat.* 
The  latter,  however,  has  been  reduced  by  Prof.  Eaton  to 
a  variety  of  O.  vulgatum,  called  Crotalophoroides  from 
Walker's  species. f  I  am  inclined  to  believe,  from  my 
own  observation,  that  all  the  Kentucky  forms  may  be 
properly  referred  to  O.  vulgatum,  which  is  an  exceedingly 
variable  species,  the  simple  leaf  of  the  sterile  frond  being 
sometimes  oval,  sometimes  ovate-oblong,  or  even  lanceo- 
late. The  root-stocks,  generally  fibrous,  are  occasionally 
inclined  to  be  bulbous,  by  which  Dr.  Short  was  probably 
misled  in  his  determination  of  the  species.  For  a  full 
account  of  the  development  of  the  vegetative  organs  of 
the  O.  vulgatum,  the  reader  is  referred  to  Hofmeister.  | 
The  stem  is  never  branched,  and  the  comparatively  thick- 
ened root-stock  but  rarely.  Unlike  most  ferns,  the  veins 
are  finely  reticulated,  not  free  or  forked.  This  exceptional 
mode  of  the  venation  is  common  to  all  the  Ophioglossaceae. 

Prof.  Hussey  says  that  he  found  this  fern  near  Glasgow 
Junction,  in  Barren  County,  where  it  grew  in  abundance. 
The  exact  locality  is  within  a  few  rods  of  the  Lithographic 
Stone-Quarry,  near  the  road  leading  from  Glasgow  Junction 

••■•See  Riddell,  1.  c.  ]■>.  107,  and  Short,  Cat.  of  the  I'henog.  PI.,  and 
Ferns  of  Kentucky,  p.  10. 

t  Chapman's  Flora  of  Southern  States,  p.  599. 
I  Ray  Society,  \.  c.  p.  312,  et  seq. 


\^/ 


PI.  LIX. 
OPHIOGLOSSUW  VULGA"rUM,L 

Common  Adders Toneue. 


GENERA    AND    SPECIES. 


149 


to  Mammoth  Cave.  He  has  observed  that  it  sends  up 
several  fronds  from  the  root-stock,  "from  near  the  base  of 
that  of  the  previous  year,  especially  if  the  first  fronds  have 
been  destroyed."  He  remarks,  also,  that  the  statement 
that  it  grows  in  "bogs  and  meadows"  should  be  modified, 
as  he  has  never  found  it  in  such  situations,  but  in  rich 
woods.  The  soil  near  Glasgow  Junction,  where  it  grew, 
was  a  rather  dry,  compact  clay.  It  is  by  no  means  common 
in  the  State.  Some  good  specimens  of  this  plant  were  col- 
lected by  Dr.  Crosier,  near  the  mouth  of  Wyandotte  Cave, 
in  Indiana,  five  miles  from  the  Ohio  River. 

The  leaf  becomes  very  much  attenuated  in  drying,  and, 
when  decolorized,  furnishes  beautiful  objects  for  the  mi- 
croscope. 

Figure  i,  a  plant,  natural  size;  figure  2,  a  portion  of  a 
spike;  figure  3,  a  sporangium;  figure  4,  a  spore;  figures  2, 
3,  and  4,  are  magnified  views  (from  Hooker  and  Bauer). 


APPENDIX, 


DESCRIPTION  OF  PLATE  LX. 

[From  Davenport's  Monograph  on  the  Vernation  in  Botrychia, 
IN  ToRREY  Botanical  Bulletin,  vol.  vi,  January,  1878.] 

VERNATION   IN   BOTRYCHIA. 

Vernation  wholly  straight: 

I.  B.  simplex^  Hitchcock.     Bud  smooth.     Apex  of 
fertile  and  sterile  frond  erect.     Figure  3. 
Vernation  partly  inclined,  in  one  or  both  portions. 

1.  B.  Lmiaria,  Swartz.  Bud  smooth.  Apex  only 
of  sterile  frond  bent  over  and  outside  of  the  nearly 
straight  fertile  frond.  Segments  of  sterile  frond  ar- 
ranged nearly  perpendicularly.     Figure  4. 

2.  B.  borcale,  Milde.  Bud  smooth.  Apex  of  sterile 
frond  bent  over  inside  of  the  nearly  erect  fertile  frond. 
Sterile  segments  arranged  on  an  angle.     Figure  5. 

3.  B.  matricaricefolium,  A.  Br.  Bud  smooth.  Apex 
of  both  fronds  turned  down.  Sterile  frond  clasping  the 
fertile,  with  its  apex  overlapping  the  whole.     Figure  6. 

4.  B.  ternatum,  Swartz.  Bud  pilose.  Apex  of  both 
fronds  bent  down,  with  a  slight  curve  inward.  Fig- 
ures 8  and  9. 

Vernation  wholly  inclined,  in  the  fertile  frond  re- 
curved. 

1.  B.  lanccolatum,  Angstrom.  Bud  smooth.  Fer- 
tile frond  recurved  its  whole  length,  the  shorter  sterile 
frond  reclined  upon  it.     Figure  7. 

2.  B.  Virginianmn,  Swartz.  Bud  pilose.  Fertile 
frond  recurved  its  whole  length  with  the  longer  sterile 
frond  reclined  upon  it.     Figure  10. 


■I-    ; 


.5  Y    ; 


V* 


\/£RNATION  OFBOTRYCHIUM 


INDEX. 


The  more  important  references  are  in  heavy  faced  type;  obsolete 
names  in  italic  type. 


Addet's  Tongue,  12,  25,  147. 
Adiantum,  28,  39,  45. 

Chilense,  39. 

Farleyense,  39. 

pedatum,  8,  39,  40. 
AUosorus,  28,  51. 
Antheridia,  19. 
Appendix,  151. 
Archegonia,  19. 
Aspidiese,  29,  79,  85. 
Aspidium,  29,  79,  85. 

acrostichoides,  99. 

cristatum,  93. 

Goldianum,  95. 

marginale,  85,  97. 

Noveboracense,  89. 

obtusum,  113. 

spinulosum,  91,  93. 

spinulosum,  v.  intermedium, 
91. 

Thelypteris,  87. 
Aspleniece,  28,  53. 
Asplenium,  28,  53. 

angustifolium,  69,  71. 

Bradleyi,  8,  57. 

ebeneum,  58,  63,  77. 

ebenoides,  53. 

Filix-foemina,  73. 

montanum,  57,  58,  65. 


Asplenium  pinnatifidum,  55,  58, 
59,  61,  77. 

Ruta-muraria,  67. 

thelypteroides,  71. 

Trichomanes.  61,  63,  65. 
Athyrhim,  73. 

Barren  County,  47,  123,  149. 
Bear  Creek,  58. 
Beargrass  Creek,  52,  113,  145. 
Beech  Fern,  69,  81,  83. 
Bee  Spring,  58. 
Bell  County,  37. 
BigClifty,  59,  65,  91. 
Bladder  Fern,  17,  101,  113. 
Boone  County,  55. 
Botrychium,  139,  140,  151. 

boreale,  151. 

g>xicile,  141. 

lanceolatum,  151. 

Lunaria,  140,   151. 

btnarioides,  144. 

matricaricefolium,  151. 

obliquum,  144. 

simplex,  151. 

ternatum,  151. 

ternatum,  v.  dissectum,  145. 

ternatum,  v.  obliquum,  143, 
145. 

(151) 


152 


INDEX. 


Bolrychium    Virginianum,     140, 

141,  145,  151. 
Bracken,  13,  43. 
Bristle  Fern,  123. 
Buds,  19. 

Bulbous  Bladder  Fern,  105. 
Bullitt  County,  74,  91. 

Camptosorus,  28,  75. 
Camptosorus  rhizophyllus,  77. 
Carter  County,  55,  123, 
Cheilanthes,  28,  45. 

fragrans,  45. 

tomentosa,  49. 

vestita,  47,  50. 
Christmas  Fern,  99. 
Cinnamon  Fern,  137. 
Classification,  24. 
Clayton's  Flowering  Fern,  135. 
Cliff-brake  Fern,  51,  52. 
Climbing  Fern,  8,  129. 
Clothed  Lip-fern,  47. 
Collecting  and  Drying,  21. 
Columella,  26. 
Common  Adder's  Tongue,  149. 

Bladder  Fern,  103. 

Bracken,  43. 

Polypody,  35. 
Crab  Orchard,  73. 
Crested  Shield  Fern,  93. 
Cryptogamia,  11. 
Cultivation,  15. 
Cumberland  Gap,  37,  49. 
Cyatheaceae,  25. 
Cystopteris,  29,  101. 

bulbifera,  loi,  105. 

fragilis,  lOi,  103,  113. 

montana,   loi. 
Davallieas,  29,  117. 


Diamond  Cave,  48. 
Dicksonia,  117. 
Dicksonia  punctilobula,  119. 
Double-staining,  83. 

Ebony  Spleenwort,  63. 
Edmonson  County,    37,   47,   55, 

58,  91,  93,  123,  119. 
Elba  Woodsia,  115. 
Elk  Lick,  37. 
Equisetum,  87. 
Estill  County,  47,  55. 

Fertilization,  18. 
Finely-dissected  Aloonwort,  145. 
Flowering  Fern,  11,  133. 
Fossil  Ferns,  10,  109,  127,  131. 
Fronds,  12,  74,  99. 
Fruit-dots,  18. 

Genera  and  Species,  33. 
Geographical  Distribution,  9. 
Glasgow  Junction,  149. 
Gleicheniacese,  25. 
Goldie's  Shield  Fern,  95. 
Grayson  County,  37,  55,  59,  65, 

91- 
Green  River,  58. 
Gymnogramme,  45. 

Hardin  County,  37,  55  91. 
Hart's  Tongue,  77. 
Hymenophyllacens,  25,  26,  I2I, 

123. 
Hymenophyllum,  122. 

Introduction,  7. 

Jefferson  County,  91. 


INDEX. 


153 


Kentucky  River,  37,  67,  105. 
Key  to  the  Genera,  30. 
Killarney  Fern,  123. 

Lady  Fern,    7,    17,   69,   73,   91, 

119. 
Laurel  County,  8,  35,  55,  91,  93, 

95>  123,  125,  129. 
Leaf,  13,  14. 
Lincoln  County,  73. 
Little  Rockcastle  River,  95. 
Liverworts,  124. 
Lygodium,  127. 
Lygodium  Palmatum,  8,  129. 

Madison  County,  35. 

Maiden -hair    Fern,    8,    1 7,    39, 

40,  69. 
Maiden-hair  Spleenwort,  61. 
Male  Fern,  10. 
Mammoth  Cave,  37,  61,    125, 

150. 
Marattiacece,  25. 
Marchantia,  124. 
Marion  County,  37. 
Marginal  Shield  Fern,  97. 
Marsh  Shield  Fern,  87,  89. 
Meeting  Creek,  59. 
Moonwort,  12,  25,  139. 
Mounds,  17. 

Mountain  Spleenwort,  65. 
Mounting,  22. 

Narrow -leaved  Spleenwort,  69, 

71- 

Nephi'oduun  lanosunt,  49. 

riijidulujii,  115. 
New  York  Shield  Fern,  89. 
Nolin  Creek,  38,  58. 


Oak  Fern,  109. 

Obtuse-leaved  Woodsia,  113. 

Ohio  River,  37,  52. 

Oldham  County,  37,  67,  91,  105. 

Onoclea,  107. 

Onoclea  sensibilis,  11,  109. 

Ophioglossaceje,   25,    27,    131, 

139- 
Ophioglossum,  147. 
Ophioglossum,  bulbosiim,  149. 
vulgatum,  149. 
vulgatum,    V.   Crotalopho- 
roides,  149. 
Osmund,  133. 
Osmunda,  87,  131,  141. 
Claytoniana,  135. 
cinnamomea,    109,    135, 

137. 
interrupta,  135. 
regalis,  II,  109,  133,  135. 
Osmundaceze,  25,  27. 

Pellsea,  28,  41,  51,  89. 
Pellaea  atropurpurea,  52. 
Phegopteris,  29,  79. 
Phegopteris,  hexagonoptera,  83. 

polypodioides,  81,  83. 
Pine  Hill,  129. 

Pinnatifid  Spleenwort,  55,  65. 
Polypodiacese,  25,  26,  28,  107. 
Polypodiece,  28,  79. 
Polypodium,  lo,  13,  28,  33,  79, 

"5- 

incanum,  37. 

obtusion,  113. 

Phegopteris,  81. 

vulgare,  35. 
Prothallus,  19,  20. 
Pteridete,  28,  41. 


154 


INDEX. 


Pteris,  28,  41,  51,  89. 
Pteris  aquilina,  13,  14,  43. 

Red  River,  73. 

Rockcastle  County.  9,  35,  37,  55, 

89,  91.  97.  135.  137- 
Rockcastle  River,  8,  124,  133. 
Springs,  93,123,  129,  130. 
Rock  Springs,  37,  67,  105. 
Root-stock,  13,  81. 
Rough  Creek,  37,  55. 
Royal  Fern,  12,  133,  135. 

Scaly  Polypody,  37. 
Schizaeacere,  25,  27,  127. 
Scolopendrium,  28,  77. 
Scolopendrium  officinarum,  iv. 
Selaginella  convoluta,  38. 
Sensitive  Fern,  11,  17,  109. 
Shield  Fern,  85. 
Short  Cave,  48. 
Sorus,  18. 
South  Fork,  124. 
Spiny  Shield  Fern,  91. 
Spleenwort,  53. 
Sporangia,  18,  19,  20,  26,  121. 
Spores,  19. 
Structure,  11. 
Struthiopteris,  29. 


Sweet  Lick  Knob,  47. 
Sweet-scented  Fern,  119. 
Summer  Fern,  69. 

Ternate  Moonwort   143. 
Tree  Ferns,  9,  117. 
Trichomanes,  7,  29,  121,  130. 
Trichomanes  radicans,  8,  58,  122. 
123. 

Unfolding  of  the  Leaf,  12,  14,  71, 
121,  145,  147,  149,  151. 

Veins,  12. 

Vernation,  71,  121,  145,  151. 
Virginia  Moonwort.    141,    143, 
145.  151- 

Walking-leaf  Fern,  77. 
Wall-rue  Fern,  67. 
Wardian  Cases,  15. 
Wet  Woods,  133.  137. 
What  is  a  Fern  ?  11. 
Winter  Fern,  99. 
Woodwardia,  28. 
W^oodsia,  111. 
Woodsia  Ilvensis,  113,  115. 

obtusa,  113. 
Woolly  Lip  Fern,  49. 


The  FERNS  of  NORTH  AMERICA: 


ILLUSTRATED  BY  SUPERBLY-COLORED  PLATES. 


Text  by  Professor  Daniel  C.  Eaton,  of 
Yale  College. 


ILLUSTRATIONS  BY  MR.  JAS.  H.  EMERTON. 


pROF.  EATON'S  herbarium  of  Ferns  is  the  largest  in  America, 
1  and  he  is  constantly  in  receipt  of  additional  plants  from  all  parts 
of  the  country.  He  is  therefore  in  a  position  to  better  conduct  the 
work  and  furnish  the  necessary  specimens  for  illustrations  than  any 
other  person.  Besides  the  labors  of  Prof.  Eaton  and  Mr.  Emerton, 
Dr.  Gray,  of  Cambridge,  has  expressed  an  interest  in  the  undertaking, 
and  kindly  offered  the  use  of  the  extensive  herbarium  of  the  Botan- 
ical Gardens  for  consultation.  The  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Soci- 
ety has  also  freely  offered  the  use  of  the  Davenport  herbarium  of  Ferns. 
The  publishers  will  also  have  the  assistance  of  Mr.  J.  Robinson,  well 
known  as  a  Fern  specialist.  Mr.  George  E.  Davenport  and  Mr.  Chas. 
E.  Faxon,  of  Boston,  Mrs.  Cooper,  of  Santa  Barbara,  Cal.,  and  others 
in  various  parts  of  the  country,  have  kindly  offered  their  assistance. 

The  subscription  price  will  be  $i.oo  per  part,  which,  it  is  believed, 
is  lower  than  any  work  of  the  same  nature  and  quality  yet  published. 

Botanists,  who  desire  to  inspect  the  work  before  subscribing,  will 
receive  a  sample  plate  and  text  by  mail,  upon  application. 

For  the  benefit  of  any  young  botanists  who  do  not  feel  able  to  pur- 
chase the  work,  the  publisher  offers  an  opportunity  to  obtain  a  copy  by 
procuring  a  few  subscribers  in  their  vicinity.  Any  lady  can  easily 
obtain  four  sul^scribers  for  the  work  among  her  friends,  and  thus  se- 
cure a  copy  for  nothing. 

S.  E.  CASSINO, 

Naturalists'  Agency,  Salem,  Mass. 


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